On My Honor
by Yamato795
Summary: A Regal musing fic that gives you a look at the game from how he saw it, and a better look at his past
1. One

**Title:** On my Honor

**Author:** Yamato795

**Pairing:** Lots of mentions of RegalxAlicia, but no other ones planned at the moment…

**Rating:** Let's go PG-13 to be safe, since they do swear in the game, and the violence.

**Status:** Chapter 1 out of ? parts. Lots planned, but a number is not clear just yet.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Tales of Symphonia. Please don't sue me.

**Spoilers:** A TON, mostly for Regal. I'd say this story is better suited for those who have beaten the game if you ask me. Read at your own risk of spoiling anything. Since it starts where Regal comes in, it should spoil quite a bit of the game after that, don't you think?

**Summary:** Take a look through Regal's eyes as well as a look into his past.

**Author notes:** I know, groan all you want, another Regal story from me. Sorry, but I love the guy. He needs some recognition, and with everything I have planned, I think he should at least get some from this. During the scenes from Regal's POV his thoughts are in italics as well. Oh, the flashbacks are not in consecutive order, and are in italics. I have them in third person because not all of them focus on Regal. The story follows from where Regal enters it. Hope you all enjoy!

On my Honor

Chapter one

There was no other way, I knew that. I wanted to deny it, I wanted to come up with some other plan, and I wanted to pretend that I wasn't about to go against everything I had ever stood for. But I knew it to be true. This wasn't about greed though, like it was for the other men, this was about justice. If there had been any other way to get the Pope to arrest Vharley for his crimes, I would have gladly done it. I never wanted to hurt anyone ever again.

This was the only way to make that Exsphere broker pay or I would not have agreed to it. I despised what I had to do, I hated that this was what it would take, but it was my only option.

To get what meager revenge I could on Vharley, I had to stop the travelers from Slyvarant, and kidnap a girl among them. The Pope did not care what happened to the others that was of no concern to him, only the girl mattered for she was the Chosen of the dying world. At least that is what he said. As I had made this dastardly deal part of my mind had been screaming that I could not trade this girl's life for Vharley's freedom. That what I was doing was despicable, that it was just wrong.

Yet I had made the deal with only a moment's hesitation.

_Forgive me for what I am about to do, Alicia._

Foolishly the other convicts charged on in without me. Even though the Papal Knights had locked doors leading through the sewer system, it had done nothing to slow the travelers from Slyvarant down, and even though they had braved countless monsters before, my companions did not come out victorious. Within moments of assaulting the group they were taken down.

They had been too rash. For a moment I was almost relieved. Those men had intended to kill complete strangers just to lighten their own burden, a relief they did not deserve. Why the Pope had given them orders to kill, while my orders were merely to capture, I could only guess. Perhaps his Holiness did not have much faith in their abilities. My relief was short lived when I saw my opportunity to strike in a way that would mean there would be minimal violence, and miraculously, none of them had known of my presence until I made my move.

Over confident from his victory over my companions, the Chosen of Tethe'alla, Zelos, had advanced on the other convicts, leaving him vulnerable. I was ashamed that I did not even hesitate to leap down from the upper level using one swift kick to the back of the younger man's head to sprawl him out on the sewer floor face down.

"Ahh!"

Holding him down with one of my feet on the small of his back, the pressure only hard enough to keep him from struggling too much or escaping, I fixed the rest of his group with as hard a gaze as I could muster. I was not used to giving anyone as vicious a glance as the one I fixed upon them. I did not even recognize my own voice when I practically hissed at the startled travelers, "Don't move…if you move, the Chosen dies, understand?"

It was a bluff. I would not kill anyone, even if these people of the declining world were to rush in right now to attack me in the hopes of saving the red headed Chosen. I did not want to cause any more harm than necessary, unlike the men they had just faced in combat. If I had to fight them, I would, but I would not take another life. No matter how many of my principles I was breaking now to commit this deed in the name of justice, I would never kill another innocent.

Under the pressure I was exerting on his back, Zelos fought a bit, trying to get away, but to no avail. His strength, even with his Exsphere, was nothing compared to mine. I did not intend to release him until I had what I came for, as much as I hated to take a prisoner for the soul purpose of obtaining another. I could feel his body tense. "Whoa whoa whoa! You think you can get away with doing something like this to the Chosen?"

Normally, he would have a point for the Chosen was one of the highest statuses of the land, higher than my own, held nearly as high as the King of Tethe'alla himself. But what had the Papal Knights mentioned of the Chosen and his companions being wanted for plotting against this world? As much as I loathed what I was doing, I had to be convincing, remarking in a calmer, logical tone, "One who plots the destruction of the world...can no longer be deemed the Chosen."

Although his friends seemed worried for his safety, my words seemed to affect Zelos the most causing him to squirm under my foot again, this time a bit more desperately. "…oh…Hey, Lloyd! If you abandon me here, I swear, I'll come back to haunt you!"

So I had at least managed to fool the Chosen that I was intent on taking his life if my demands weren't met. The boy dressed in red with two swords at his side though, spread his arms at his sides, the threat not causing any distress in his expression. He even gazed at the man under my heel a bit skeptically. "…I just had a sudden, violent urge to abandon you."

Even though my mind registered his sarcastic tone a chill still ran down my spine nearly causing me to visibly shiver. I was not prepared if any of them called my bluff and expected me to kill the swordsman I held to the ground. And even if I was wiling to fight them to take only one prisoner for the Pope, as well as had a great deal of confidence in my own abilities in battle, I could not be sure I could take on all seven of them at once by myself. This Lloyd…could, and would not, truly be so callous as to sacrifice one of his own companions! In spite of the short period of time these people from Slyvarant had been in our world, surely they had at least come to form some sort of bond with the Chosen of Tethe'alla!

Or was it not callousness that had caused Lloyd to say this, but a challenge towards me? Could he see that I was bluffing? Was I that transparent?

Determined not to allow them to see my doubts, my frantic thoughts on what I could do if it came down to the life of Zelos or fighting the seven of them, I set my jaw. For years I had learned to keep my face utterly stoic, whether to hide fear, grief, sorrow, or even joy, and it would serve me well now. None of them could see my true intentions or my plan would be ruined.

I should not have been searching their expressions, looking for an ounce of compassion for Zelos in each of them, because it distracted me. One of the girls, a short one with her hair in two long pigtails, came running at me. I should not have been startled, I should have been anticipating an attack from any of them since, as I hoped, they would care about the Chosen I was holding hostage. And yet I was shocked to have this child spring at me so boldly, swinging a battle ax that should have been too heavy for one of her size to even lift. I managed to narrowly dodge the blow, jumping to my left, but it would seem she'd gotten what she had wanted anyway.

Zelos, after her charge at me, had managed to scramble to his feet before I could prevent it. I should have known that was what the girl intended, but it was already too late. He dashed over to Lloyd, moving to behind the younger swordsman to wrap his arms around the boy's shoulders breathing out in relief. "Phew!"

His friend seemed a bit annoyed with the embrace. "…"

The control of the situation was slipping from my grasp and I could not allow that, not now when I was so close. If I failed now would Vharely ever be brought to justice? Would he ever pay for his crimes? My options were growing slim if I wanted to keep the violence of this encounter to a minimal, and I had just lost my first hostage along with any power I held over these strangers. That and I had not even been informed of which of the girls in this group was Slyvarant's Chosen of Mana caused panic to swell in my chest. Surveying my chances again, I noticed that the child that had attempted to assault me while rescuing Zelos from my hold had not returned to where she had stood with the group before. Could I use her as a hostage in my desperation? Use a child? In my search for justice, for redemption, could I sink that low?

Thoughts of such a vile action fled me once my gaze landed on her face and for the first time I truly looked at her, truly saw her.

_Dear sweet Martel, it cannot be--!_

Recognition was only the first of the waves that hit me. Next came shock, horror, denial, and finally, just fear. Was this a phantom sent to haunt me? How could this child have that hair, those eyes, that face? How could she look just like her! My mind was reeling at the sight of her, something inside of me screaming silently. I could no longer think clearly. Unable to control myself, nor my tongue, I gasped helplessly, "You're!..."

Movement brought me back from confusion. A boy with white hair had jumped forward using a spell to launch an array of fireballs straight for me. Luckily my body reacted on its own, used to rigorous training and avoiding attacks, helping me evade injury.

_She looks just like her! She looks just like…Alicia!_

As much as I hated it, the bleakness of my situation was apparent. With that girl's face now haunting me, a specter from my past, I would be too distracted to fight them. Even if I could have fought all of them at once my mind would not focus on anything but the turmoil the sight of her had caused me. I had no choice but to leave a failure, leaving without a captive. "…Ugh…retreat for now…"

One of the other convicts did nothing to hide his bitterness of being defeated earlier. "Damn, these guys are too strong…"

He was the first to make a break for the stairs, the other two close on his heels. I knew that if I stayed I would most likely be defeated. I still hesitated to follow the other criminals out of the sewers though.

_It couldn't be…_

That girl, that face…part of me did not want to believe it. Just with a look, just her appearance, had shaken me down to my very soul. Even though she was but a child she looked to be the spitting image, a mere reflection of my memory. It had to be impossible. It had to be a trick of the dim lights of these infernal sewers! Perhaps it was even my conscience run rampant, taking that form to punish me for accepting the Pope's deal, for promising to kidnap an innocent young girl.

_Did my eyes deceive me?_

The glance I cast over in her direction told me everything before I fled Meltokio's sewers. She still had the same wide, azure eyes set in a childlike face, her pink hair longer but pulled back into two simple pigtails.

_Alicia…she looks just like Alicia…_

I shook my head violently. I had no time for this. I had to get out of here. My failure…that girl's face…I had to forget that for now. By not securing the Chosen of Mana from Slyvarant I had defied the Pope, instead of laying down my life for his cause, and he would be furious if he found me or any of the others that he had made deals with. But I had been to Meltokio enough times to know just where the guards were stationed, when the shifts changed. The knowledge would help me escape the capitol city, but escape to where?

Where would I go now with this ill-gotten freedom?

At least Vharely would be arrested. That was what the Pope promised me.

Suddenly, in my mind I saw her face again. The face of the girl with the ax, the face of the girl that reminded me so much of the one I loved. In that instant I knew that I had to know her, that I needed to speak to her no matter what or I would be haunted a hundred times more by just the images burned into my memory from that one encounter. The need to speak with her, to question her, to have the information only she could give, burned in my throat to the point I thought my eyes might start to water. Or was that the grief of practically staring into what could have been the eyes of my beloved when I did not deserve to even still be breathing?

No, I could not let grief swallow me now. I had to think clearly, I had to escape to where the Pope would not find me and I had to decide what I would do about the phantom girl I had seen in the sewers. Suffering could come later, grief could wait. Now was the time for action, for a plan, I could wallow in pity some other time, perhaps back in my cell alone to rot away the rest of my life. Just not yet.

The travelers from Slyvarant were fugitives now, meaning it would be foolish for them to remain in Meltokio for long when it was the location of both the palace and the church where the King and the Pope reside. They would be on the move once they finished whatever they had been sneaking in to the Imperial City for. So where would they go next? There was not much on this continent, just a House of Guidance, Meltokio, and the Fooji Mountains. None of those locations would save them from search parties. Would they try to take the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge over to the city of Sybak? It was closer, but I could not be sure that was where they would head. It was unlikely they would even be able to cross the bridge now that they were running from the Papal Knights, yet I doubted that would stop them.

So where would they go?

_Could they be headed for…could they be headed to Ozette?_

Unfortunately it was my only guess at their true plans. I had no way of knowing just where they might go when they left the walls of Meltokio; I could only hope…could only pray to Martel that I was right. That they would go to Sybak and then the Gauracchia Forest, because that would take them to Ozette. I could only trust my instincts now; it was all that I had. And if I could make it in time, that would take them to me.

How long had it been since I was out in the open? Since I had seen anything outside the dungeon walls, the stands in the coliseum? The Grand Tethe'alla Bridge had been no trouble to cross, and I had made great time passing by Sybak and into the Gauracchia Forest. Even in the darkness of the woods' canopy, even among the monsters that roamed among the trees and foliage, I was more at ease than I had been in so long. Freedom was new to me, even if it was not a freedom I had earned, and a selfish part of my soul indulged in it as I finally found the trail that led to Ozette.

Here I could wait for them in the trees, where they would not see me. I could surprise them once again. Now all I had to do, was be patient, and hope. Had I been right? Would they come this way, or would they travel further from Meltokio to somewhere like Flanior, which was so much further from the people that wanted them captured?

"_Duke Bryant, are you even listening to me?" The smooth, even toned voice brought Regal out of his thoughts, azure eyes blinking into focus as he turned back to his two guests. He was still adjusting to both his new position as well as being addressed as Duke Bryant. Duke Bryant had always been his father. Now it was what everyone called him other than Master Regal. Everyone had a place, George had always insisted, and it was in that place where they belonged. As much as he had been prepared, tutored, and prepped to carry on his family's duties, there were times when Regal seriously doubted this was the only place in the world for him, among nobles such as Duke Nomal and his courtier son Joshua Nomal._

"_Yes, of course." In reality he had only been half-listening to their remarks, as the other half of his attention was focused on the new Chief Maid shrewdly training in a group of young female employees. That was not unusual considering George had recently hired a completely new staff for the estate, what it was that caught his attention was one particular girl._

_The Chief Maid, a Ms. Jonase if Regal recalled correctly, had over burdened her with things to carry, for whatever reason that he could not determine as he could not hear what was being said, and she was trying to balance the cleaning supplies while following along with the group and paying attention to the lecture being given. Regal was certain he had not seen this new employee before. One reason for his certainty was that she had light pink hair separated into short pigtails, something that definitely stood out. Another reason was that she appeared so young compared to the other girls in her group, a child, no more than eleven he guessed. The young nobleman frowned as he saw another of the girls add a few folded towels to the pink haired child's already impressive load before running off to catch up with the migrating group._

"_Duke Bryant?" Joshua sensed the Duke's distraction._

"_Alicia!" Ms. Jonase shouted at the poor struggling girl who could not keep everything in her arms balanced and chase after her training group, now lagging behind the rest. Unfortunately the shout only caused the girl to jump and everything came tumbling out of her hold onto the carpet at her feet._

_Duke Nomal and his son must have finally followed Regal's gaze because they laughed at the sight this child made, flushed while falling to her knees to gather everything up again and about to be reprimanded by the Chief Maid stalking towards her. The older Duke chuckled behind his hand while gesturing over at the small display, "Good help is so hard to find these days, isn't it, my friend?"_

_Regal was no longer listening to his guests, and without thinking he had hurried over to the child, kneeling down next to her among the numerous cleaning supplies and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right?"_

_Her eyes whipped up to meet his, frightened, tears building behind blues hues while her cheeks darkened to a deeper crimson shade. "I…I'm fine…Thank you…"_

"_Alicia, how dare you address Master Regal so informally?" Ms. Jonase cried, outraged at the child's lack of etiquette and ignorance of her place in the household as nothing more than a servant. There was a color of anger rising in her face as she stood over the poor girl, fuming, her dark hair falling out of its usually neat bun. "Can you not even carry a few things while I train you in your duties? If you insist on being so clumsy I will not hesitate to send you right back to your little country village, do you hear me?"_

_At her clipped tone the girl flinched, hurriedly trying to pick up everything she had dropped. Unable to stand the sight of this child so scared, Regal glared up at the Chief Maid, stating plainly, "If you had been making sure that all of your trainees had been doing their fair share of the work, Ms. Jonase, then there would not have been a problem. You need not be so harsh when it's obvious she is trying very hard to learn her new tasks."_

_Not waiting to see the shock on the older woman's face, he then turned to the girl she'd called Alicia, smiling warmly. "Your name is Alicia?"_

"_Y-yes, Master Regal." She nodded hurriedly. "Alicia Combatir."_

_For the first time in quite a while, the Duke's smile widened. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Alicia."_

I was amazed when I was awakened from a small doze by a voice below. "I hear something…footsteps from far away…"

Another followed, this one much more familiar. "I don't hear anything."

I thought that I was hearing things at first, since I had merely guessed on where the travelers from Slyvarant would head and it was hard to believe that they could be below the very tree which I had taken as a perch. Gaoracchia Forest was a treacherous place, not many were even fit to brave it since monsters scoured the woods and the plants had overrun everything making it dark, foreboding. Shaking my head, also trying to make sure my movements were silent, I shifted in my seat on the large tree branch to find out if I had really heard the red headed Chosen's voice.

Gathered just in the fork in the path that would take them either out of the forest, into an area I knew very little of, or in the direction of Ozette, were the same people I had encountered in the sewers of Meltokio. I could not believe my eyes, they were all here; the Chosen, the boy he'd called Lloyd, the child that had cast a fireball spell at me, even the girl who resembled my memories in such an uncanny way. All seven of them had made it out of Meltokio and to this continent! It was not that I doubted they would avoid capture and possibly come this way, I just not had expected them so soon. And what was this about hearing footsteps in the distance? Were they being pursued?

As far as I could tell, they had no idea I was even there. Perfect. Although, would they have expected me to follow them?

"Colette still has her angel senses." One of the women I had not really taken notice of before stated, gesturing to another girl with long blonde hair. She appeared much like the young spell caster that had helped instigate my retreat in the sewers, but older, and with the way she carried herself I could see she held some form of authority in this group.

Colette, who I assumed was the blonde girl the woman had made a motion towards, gazed down the dirt road that would take them out of the forest to Ozette, appearing a bit pensive from what I could make out of her face from my high vantage point. "…They're definitely footsteps. Also, the sound of clinking armor. There are lots of them. It's coming from that direction."

"That can't be good. Altessa lives over there." Lloyd murmured a bit agitatedly. "Could it be more of the same guys from before?"

So they were being pursued, by the Papal Knights no doubt.

"I'll send Corrine out to scout." A dark haired young woman wearing what appeared from here to be the garb of a ninja, possibly that of Mizuho, remarked. With a wave of her hand a small puff of smoke appeared before her, and when that cleared a small creature remained. It could have been a fox, a fox with four tails that were blue, but it ran off towards their oncoming threat before I could get a decent look at it.

If they were being pursued, that meant that they might be captured. The Papal Knights had the numbers to overtake even their strongest adversaries, and if they were coming in a large group I might lose my only chance to speak with this girl. In all honesty, I was probably not thinking clearly, I probably had not been thinking clearly since I laid eyes on her and saw Alicia's face staring back at me. Even if it was not wise to approach a group I had just recently attacked and threatened, I leapt down from my perch, startling them.

The young spell caster recognized me immediately. "That's the guy from the Meltokio sewer!"

"Man it's just one thing after another with the Pope!" Zelos groaned, probably remembering how I had caught him off guard to take him as a hostage. He shook his head. "Am I really that much of a problem to him?"

I ignored the both of them for the most part, my gaze seeking that of the girl who reflected the face of the woman I loved. She did not seem frightened to see me, not moving to draw her weapon, no reaction in her expression at all. Did she even see me? Why is it that she seemed so empty, more of a puppet than a person? Her expression did not change, she did not speak. And yet, I had to try. "I do not wish to fight you. I just wish to speak with that girl."

Out of the corner of my eye I could see the crimson swordsman's confusion. None of them had made any move towards me yet; did I not appear to be a threat? Considering it meant that they were not all going to attack me at once I should have been grateful that all Lloyd did was ask, "With Presea?"

Again the white haired boy spoke up, this time in anger, clenching a fist at me. "You've got to be kidding! Or did you forget that you tried to kill us?"

I suppose it had been too hopeful of me to think that just because they had not all rushed at me, weapons in hand, that I was not in any danger of them. A knot twisted in my stomach, reminding me that I had agreed to confront them in the sewer; I had agreed to make myself their enemy just to put Vharely away. I had no time to explain that. They would not understand it anyway, even if I tried. That, and there were probably dozens of the Pope's men coming to capture them, so it was not as if they had time either.

_But I need to speak with her. I must._

"I cannot speak for any others, however, I, at least, never intended to take your lives. My orders were to retrieve a girl named Colette." That at least, was the truth, as much as I could spare for them. Directly, I had not attacked them as the other convicts had, I merely had held Zelos at bay to negotiate their turning over Slyvarant's Chosen. Sadly I'd never gotten to the negotiating, so it was not that they could really trust my actions from before.

"…Me?" The girl I had already guessed was Colette chimed up innocently.

Even though the girl I wished to talk with so desperately would not react to me, perhaps the others with her would. I needed the chance to speak with her, meaning I would work with them to get it. Again that urgency to talk with the phantom child, the one that's face haunted me, grew to the point that I could barely hold it in. My throat burning, I once again met her azure orbs saying softly to reassure her, "I will do you no harm. Presea…is her name, correct? Please, let me speak with her."

Something on her neck suddenly struck my vision as if I'd been blindsided by a blow. That stone! That stone…on her neck…it was one of those cursed stones; the kind that could turn even the gentlest, kindest, most innocent person into a violent monster! And behind my horror there was guilt. I was partly responsible for Exspheres ever reaching the surface world of Tethe'alla, a sin I would never be absolved of. But this girl, this Presea, she could not have done anything so awful as to deserve that horrible stone on her neck! Did she even know what could become of her because of that evil thing?

"An Exshpere! You are yet another victim!" The words fell from my lips, I felt my mouth moving to form them, but I could not hear them. My eyes were boring into hers, my heart weeping at the familiarity of her gaze, and I lifted my bound hands to examine the stone.

For the first time, Presea moved. She slapped my hands away and I drew instinctively back. To my left I heard the young spell caster shout, "Presea's in danger!"

Along with the sound of swords being drawn, Lloyd's voice followed. "I don't know what the heck is going on, but we have to stop this guy!"

But I couldn't allow them to stop me. Didn't they understand? No, how could they? How could they understand the things I had seen, the things I had done, because of stones like the one Presea wore? I would not get the chance to explain anything to them either, as it seemed they were intent on separating me from their companion. Every piece of my shattered soul screamed that I could not allow that, shrieked that if I did not counter them I could lose my only chance to get answers from this child that was nearly a reflection of Alicia.

Lloyd, Zelos, Colette, and the young spell caster were the ones that came charging at me. If they were looking for a battle I had to give them one, even if I did not want to hurt them, even if I did not want to fight them. What else could I do? I tried to hone in the anger I felt deep inside for being kept from the answers I sought, growling out at my attackers, "We have no choice but to fight!"

There was a choice. They just hadn't allowed it to me.

Four of them, I thought it would be easy enough. Perhaps I had underestimated their strengths, or had I underestimated how much I did not want to battle with them? I should have been able to take them at full strength, but there was part of me holding back. Even in light of the fact failure could mean death, as I had no idea how far these people from another world would go to insure their own safety, or losing could mean I would lose my only opportunity to question Presea, I held back.

I was not worried for my own life as I was slipping into unconsciousness after Lloyd's final attacks, no; if Vharely had been apprehended as per my agreement with the Pope then I had nothing else tying me to living. Except…why was it that when I looked into Presea's eyes it was not her that I saw, but Alicia? My Alicia. Disgust coursed through me as I fell to my knees on the ground.

Where was my strength to fight when I needed it? How could I have been so foolish as to hold back? I should have fought them with all my might; I should have wanted the truth more than I wanted to just end my suffering. Yet I could not stop the darkness swirling my vision with the will to fight now, it was too late. _How many times will I fail you, Alicia?_

"I'm…sorry…" I couldn't stop the darkness from taking me then.

To be continued

This took me a while to get out. The scripting out of the scenes was annoying but necessary. I hope you enjoyed it. The flashbacks will make more and more sense as the story goes on, I promise! Please let me know what you think! I appreciate comments!

Also, I wanted to thank Christie for inspiring me to write this, all of her encouragement, and all of her help. I really couldn't have gotten this story off the ground without you! Marika, your story Tainted Disposition was also an inspiration and I want you to know that! And Heidi, I want to thank you too, because of all your help getting skits! I may need to keep asking you for favors, but I want you to know how much I appreciate your hard work!


	2. Two

**Title:** On my Honor

**Author:** Yamato795

**Pairing:** Lots of mentions of RegalxAlicia, but no other ones planned at the moment…

**Rating:** Let's go PG-13 to be safe, since they do swear in the game, and the violence.

**Status:** Chapter 2 out of ? parts. Lots planned, but a number is not clear just yet.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Tales of Symphonia. Please don't sue me.

**Spoilers:** A TON, mostly for Regal. I'd say this story is better suited for those who have beaten the game if you ask me. Read at your own risk of spoiling anything. Since it starts where Regal comes in, it should spoil quite a bit of the game after that, don't you think?

**Summary:** Take a look through Regal's eyes as well as a look into his past.

**Author notes: **First, I operate under the assumption that Regal does not live in the Lezareno building but in some sort of mansion like Zelos. Trust me, it makes sense, or will to you later. I mean, honestly, who lives in an office building? Second, if you cannot tell, I will tend to breeze through parts of the game that I do not think are both important to this story and Regal or, if you have played the game through, you don't really need to hear it from me again. Honestly, there are many parts of the game that I don't think I should have to touch too much on, either because Regal wasn't there, or because you should have seen it before when you played the game. Lastly, I really did not intend for this chapter to be so long, but when I had planned it, I decided to stick certain events in just like the first chapter, and these scenes seemed to accumulate. So hopefully, even though it is long, you will still be able to enjoy! (Flashbacks are still in italics, but lines in the flashbacks that are not are memories of something said before. Trust me, read and it will make sense.)

On my Honor

Chapter two

"Master Regal! There's been an accident!"

_It was after that that the Elemental Railway no longer ran to the Lezareno building at night._

"Master Regal, your parents—"

_They'd been on the railway, headed back to the station, back home. But something had happened to the train. There was an accident, a horrible accident. Neither his parents, nor the train's operator, had been found just as the cause of the incident couldn't be determined. Even though the bodies hadn't been discovered there was very little chance that they could have survived if the tide came in to sweep them out to sea. Altamira was devastated by the loss._

_Not as much as the son they had left behind though. Regal's mother and father had been his entire family, his mother teaching him the ways of the royal court while his father taught him how to run Lezareno since childhood because he was their legacy. He'd been left the title of Duke, previously his father's title, as well as the huge company to keep running smoothly and court sessions to attend in the place of his mother. It was because of both of these responsibilities, those that had been his mother's and those of his father, that Regal Bryant, only seventeen years old, had no time to grieve the loss of his family, for he had new burdens to carry. He had been raised to follow the expectations of high society, to move on, to take on these new tasks, and to not even bat an eye at the fact that one night his parents had disappeared never to return._

_As soon as the funeral was over he was given no time to contemplate any sort of pain that should have come from loss, from grief. There was too much to be done, too many things that required his attention, for Regal to have a chance to mourn his parent' deaths._

_Too much was changing. He was needed to attend functions of the royal court in the place of his mother, and at the same time the company needed constant supervision, constant care. And when he came home from the office one night not long after the funeral, he found that the staff of the Bryant estate, the staff that for the most part, had worked there all his life, were packing up their things to leave._

"_George, what is going on?" The older man appeared to be the only one who was not preparing to vacate the premises. His servant seemed startled to see him, but not nearly as unsettled as Regal appeared seeing every familiar face in his memory practically marching out the door. All of the cooks, the maids, the butlers, and every member of his staff that lived on the estate were filing out, some even shooting George piercing glares. Dozens of questions sprung into the Duke's throat but died before reaching his tongue, he was too flustered to voice his thoughts._

"_Forgive me, Master Regal, but I only have your best interests at heart." His calm tone seemed to only be on the surface because his expression along with his posture read of nervousness. "But after what happened to your parents and the suspicious circumstances, I thought it might be better for you to begin again with a clean slate. There was always a chance that someone under your employment could have been somehow involved--"_

"_You cannot be serious." Regal interrupted hotly. Helplessly he glanced at the people who were walking past them to leave, to exit his life just as the only family he had ever known had, for a reason that wasn't even justified. "How can you do this, it's practically like you are accusing all of them of having a hand in what happened! Do you have any proof, George? Do you have any real foundation to this belief that firing the entire staff is what's best?"_

"_Master Regal, I am doing this for you." His servant insisted, placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "You will see that in time. The new staff that I hired will be here in two days, and things will be back to the way they always were. You will see."_

_It did not sit well with the young Duke though. Regal saw the injustice of it, couldn't stand that it was happening under his own roof, and yet he could not find the strength to speak out against it. George had been a trusted servant to his father, as well as a close friend to the Bryant family for years, perhaps the older man believed he was looking out for his charge's welfare. But for Regal it meant something entirely different._

_Almost everyone he'd ever known would soon be gone._

I was just suddenly awake, as if my awareness had been snapped back into place abruptly. There were no thoughts of surprise that sprung into my mind, only a fair amount of pain that instantly brought back my most recent memories. The Chosen and his group, the fight in Gaoracchia Forest, and the image of that girl hit me in a swirl of recollection. Making it to my knees while finally sensing that there were others close by, right next to me even, I couldn't help but gasp in confusion. "?..."

Once my vision came into focus I could see Slyvarant's Chosen, Colette, rise to her feet before me, smiling. "Oh, he's awake."

In spite of the ache in my limbs I climbed to my feet, noting that someone stood up behind me as well. A quick glance from side to side told me all I needed to know. I was no longer in that dark forest I was in a small village that I definitely did not recognize, and the group that surrounded me now was definitely the same one that had defeated me. "Wh…where am I?"

"You're our prisoner. Don't try anything funny." Lloyd remarked sharply from behind my back, the threat lacing his voice more than just a warning. The irony of becoming the prisoner of a group that I had been sent to capture a member of was not lost on me. Nor was the fact that I found it pointless for the swordsman to threaten me when I had not wanted to battle any of them in the first place. Unfortunately, I was the only one who saw that.

Even so, I needed to comprehend my current situation before I could do anything about it. "I like to think I'm smart enough not to start trouble when I don't understand the situation."

"Lloyd, we should go check on Sheena...see what her Chief has to say." Zelos commented taking a few cautious steps towards me. "We'll just have to take him with us for now so that we can keep an eye on him."

As if escaping was what I wanted anyway. I allowed them to lead me into a large hut through a secret passage, and as soon as all of us had entered a voice beckoned my captors to join them in the main room. I was seated between the white haired woman, the wall to my right, and Colette, as if they expected that during their impending conversation that I would try to run for it. But there was no point to running away.

Since I was still alive after facing them in the forest I still had the chance to try to speak with that girl Lloyd had called Presea. If they were going to keep me prisoner that meant I could stay close to her, I could watch her, and maybe even ask her the questions that plagued my thoughts. I did not like the idea of being their captive, yet I knew I could endure it, as I had endured much in my life already.

Though I did not partake in their discussion, I gathered much from it. First, I'd been taken to the village of Mizuho along with the others of this little fellowship, by the dark haired woman that I assumed was the Sheena that Zelos had mentioned outside. She was from this village, and had been sent to kill Colette, which obviously, she did not do. Then the Vice-Chief of the ninja village asked Lloyd about his goals now that he was in Tethe'alla.

Lloyd proved to be an idealist. He wanted to stop the system of one world victimizing the other, even though he had no clue how to actually do so just yet. The Vice-Chief was impressed, and ordered Sheena to continue to travel with them, as well as assured the group that Mizuho's information network would locate the Rheairds for them. When I had first encountered the people from Slyvarant, I had not expected to discover they were in a struggle to save their dying world as well as do so without sacrificing Colette or Tethe'alla. I also had not expected to respect them for their goals.

What had I gotten myself into?

And what were they going to do with me?

When we left the Vice-Chief's hut, I soon found myself circled by these strangers, their eyes on me intently. For a moment, I wondered what they saw when they looked at me. Or perhaps, I wondered a bit more about what Zelos saw when he looked at me. I had yet to see any sort of recognition in his gaze when it was on me, I suppose that was enough to be grateful for, as if they knew all of my secrets I doubt they would let me anywhere near Presea.

Lloyd cocked his head to side curiously. "What's your name?"

His threats were gone, and yet that simple question was enough to worry me. The risk that giving them my full name might ruin my only chance to speak with the girl that reflected my memory was one that I was not willing to take. Not with the Chosen of Tethe'alla staring right back at me, waiting for my response. It was not that I wanted to lie to them, or hide the truth, because I took no pleasure in doing so. The only reason I could not be completely honest was the fact that I was ashamed, and I knew that once they saw it, I would be rejected instantly. "…Regal."

It was after all my name, as little as it had ever been used.

"Regal, huh? I'm sorry but we're gonna have to keep you prisoner for a bit longer." He seemed almost apologetic when he said that. After what I had heard him say in the hut only minutes ago, though, I was not surprised. He obviously respected life, and others, and probably felt that keeping me captive was the only way to insure the safety of his companions.

Zelos, at my left, spoke up suddenly, and it made my stomach twist until I heard what he had to say. For a moment, I believed he realized who I really was, but instead he suggested, "Lloyd. How about lettin' pops here fight, too?"

To say the least I was relieved, almost thankful. Instead of being their prisoner I could join them in their quest, as well as finally ask Presea what had been on my mind since the instant I'd laid eyes on her. I would have spoken up in my own defense, to offer my skills even, but the young spell caster with the white hair exclaimed, "Even though he might betray us?"

"He has business with Presea, right? Then he's not gonna try anything before he gets a chance to speak with her, you know?" the red headed swordsman interjected on my behalf. His sudden interest in my coming along with them had me suspicious. Did he really not recognize me? Or was he better at hiding his disgust and is waiting for the right moment to divulge any knowledge he has of me to his friends? Perhaps, if I went along with them, I would have to be a bit more careful around him than the others.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea." The white haired woman said softly.

That made the boy that resembled her go rigid. "Raine!"

She gave him a nearly secret, apologetic glance.

I could see the ninja woman cross her arms over her chest, biting her lip a bit agitated. "I dunno about this, but I won't make a fuss. I also started off as your enemy."

Lloyd turned back to me, his dark eyes warmer than they had been before. "…Well? Will you fight alongside us for now?"

"All right." I breathed out, pushing aside my nervousness because of the Chosen's stare and my eagerness to speak with Presea. Before I had wondered what I was getting into with these people, and before that I had regretted my decision to make a dastardly deal with the Pope. I did not want to do anything else I would regret. I was already suffering enough. Agreeing to this might increase that suffering, but I believed it worth it if my fate was tied with this girl who had the face of Alicia. "I swear upon my good name and these shackles that bind me, I shall not betray you."

The same boy who protested before gave me a harsh glare, clenching a fist at me. "If you do anything even the slightest bit suspicious, I'll burn you to a crisp, got it?"

I couldn't help but blink in surprise at the threat coming from a child, particularly one that I had in no way directly threatened. Indeed I had made an enemy of myself to them in the sewers, and I had fought them in the forest, but I had never even spoken to this boy and he already held such strong contempt for me. Sadly enough, I more than likely deserved it, whether he knew it or not.

"Well, then, welcome to our group, Regal!" Colette chimed in as if she had not heard her friend's harsh words towards me. The smile on her face was genuine, welcoming, as she clasped her hands together in front of her.

Her companions were not so warm, and I had not expected them to be. Raine, the white haired woman, seemed more focused on the boy who had detested her agreement with Zelos' idea, her concern more transparent as she moved over to his side and put a hand on her shoulder. Sheena, Lloyd, and Presea had already moved towards the gates of Mizuho, as if they were going to leave without us. I could not hear what they were saying, but a man in a blue uniform had told the dark haired ninja something that seemed to make Lloyd and Sheena both more relaxed. Presea seemed to make a comment after the crimson wearing swordsman that made him falter, but I managed to pick up the last thing he murmured.

"Okay, to Ozette first then."

My mind began to shut down, and I knew it was ridiculous to hope, to think this way, but Presea wanted to go to Ozette. It was too much of a coincidence to ignore! It had to be. There had to be a connection to this girl and my distant memories, how else could I look into her eyes and see those of the woman I loved?

"You won't be able to get her to talk to you that much." A voice at my side startled me from my thoughts, and I glanced down to my left to find that Zelos still stood only a few feet away with his gaze on the child that had a face so much like someone else's. I suppose he did not expect me to reply, or perhaps he even thought that I would not understand what he meant, but he continued on without any sort of prodding. "Her Exsphere makes her like this. She barely talks at all."

"Hm." So that cursed stone made her more like a doll than a human? Was that the explanation of why she barely reacted to anything but a danger to herself and those close to her? From what I knew of Exspheres they increased the strength, speed, and other capabilities of those using them, but I had never heard of them taking away the awareness of a person. I had never heard that they could subdue emotional responses such as fear or any other extreme reaction to one's surroundings. This…Presea…did seem so empty…so indifferent, almost.

How could someone have done this to her?

"Come on, guys, it's time to go!" Lloyd called, standing just outside of Mizuho and waving back to us.

I found my feet moving before I thought about it, falling into step with the red haired Chosen before I realized what I was doing. How had I made the transition from prisoner to member so quickly? Well, it was not as if they had done me any harm, other than defeat me in the forest, and it seemed that only one of them did not care for me to accompany them. And I did not want to worry about something like that at the moment. Yes, I had joined their quest, but mostly for the purpose of growing closer to the girl they called Presea.

And in spite of what Zelos had told me, how could I not try? How could I keep silent when she was right there? How could I keep back the questions that leapt onto my tongue the closer I came to her? The fact that her very visage managed to unhinge the walls of my defenses, that looking at her caused me both to flinch as well as internally weep with regret, was eating away at me. I had to know more about her, to know more than just her name. Even the caution I'd been giving from the Chosen wasn't enough to stop the urge welling up within me.

There was still a chance she would speak to me.

"Your name is Presea…correct?" She did not look over her shoulder, nor did she acknowledge the sound of my voice. She merely kept walking. I did not let that deter me, I stayed only a few steps behind her, unrelenting in my hope that perhaps I could get through to this child in spite of her Exshpere. "About your family…"

"H...hey! Get away from her!" The young spell caster ran over to the both of us, outrage lining his childish features. I had not even gotten out a complete second sentence before he had charged in, as if I meant to attack the girl who still walked in front of us undisturbed. Had he been watching to see if I would approach her, waiting to step in when I did? I studied his face for another moment until I realized the cause for his dislike of me, why he was trying to keep me away from Presea.

He meant to protect her. He probably cared for her.

I tried not to sound too smug. "I apologize. So you're her little knight…"

That caused him to bristle instantly, thinking I meant to mock him. "Don't make fun of me! I've got magic, you hear me!"

"Genis." Presea's voice cut in softly, nearly indifferent to what was occurring right behind her. She did not even glance at him, but he scrambled for a moment to fall into step next to her, color flooding his cheeks that I doubt she ever saw.

"Wh…what is it? Don't worry, I'll protect you." He assured her instantly.

"He bears no hostility." She remarked in a quiet monotone, her gaze never wavering from the path out in front of her. "There is no need for combat."

This seemed to fluster Genis, as he stole a glare back at me, and then seemed almost to deflate as he appeared to decide she was right. I did feel a good deal of sympathy for him, knowing that he only meant to protect someone he cared for from any threat of danger, as I knew what that was like. "Ah…oh…"

"Also, I have no need for your protection." Presea added.

That made the boy's face fall completely. "…Oh."

I could not blame him for wanting to step in and keep his companion safe. There had been a time when I did the same thing for the woman I loved, when I would have braved any danger to keep her from harm. When I watched Genis gaze over at the pink haired girl who no longer seemed to notice him, I could see in his eyes something that tore at my shattered heart. I knew that instinct to protect so very well, and yet I did not want to be reminded of it. Here was a girl who wore the face of my beloved, as well as a boy who cared for her deeply, and all it did was make me think of how I failed her. How I failed to protect Alicia the way I had promised to.

Unable to watch the two of them together any longer, I slowed down so that I could fall behind them, even behind Raine who was busy answering a question for Colette and Sheena. There was a part of me, as I trudged on, that wondered just how everything could always remind me of her.

Perhaps it was my price to pay.

I should not have been surprised that I dreaded entering the city of Ozette. I had never been to the quaint little town before, even after everything I had heard about it, and perhaps deep down I was expecting some sort of harsh welcome for entering the town. But I had no real time to dwell on it, for as soon as we began up the large tree branch that would take us into the village, Presea ran ahead. She said not a word, just surged forward without looking back leaving her companions, as well as myself, stunned.

Where was she going?

This seemed to upset Genis instantly, for I could have sworn I saw his face fall after the pink haired girl ran off, and he turned to Lloyd, hiding his distress by crying out urgently, "Lloyd! We have to follow her!"

The young swordsman still seemed stunned from Presea's departure. "Huh? Yeah…"

I was more concerned with the fact that Presea had run off, giving me no more chances to speak with her, than with Lloyd's questions about my shackles. The younger man had approached me to ask me a few questions, mostly about why I wore them. He came up with his own explanation for them anyway, probably because I refused to offer him one, and as off as his explanation was I did not want to think about it. My thoughts were more on what the girl who nearly shared the face of my lover could be doing, why she had gone off on her own.

Thankfully, Raine deterred the party from going into any of the shops. She was firm in the fact that she wanted to find Presea to make sure the girl would be all right before anyone decided to comb through the weapons and armor stores. I would have voiced my agreement, but Genis seemed to think he knew where his friend had gone, so there was no need. We headed down a branch near the back of the town to find only one house at the bottom, and on the porch was not only the child we were looking for, but a strange man.

There was something about him that made me cautious. He seemed too focused on his glee that Presea had returned; even though she was quick to enter what I assumed was her home. She had ignored Genis' outcry that we needed to make her a Key Crest, which is what Colette had told me, in her long list of introductions and other tidbits of information on my new companions, was the entire reason we were headed to the home of Altessa. When Presea went inside he left shortly after.

Raine felt the need to point out he was a half-elf, and Lloyd mentioned something about seeing him in Meltokio. I lost track of what they were saying after that, unfortunately. I could not ignore the fact that I still needed to talk with this girl, especially now that it seemed she no longer intended to travel with us even if this group's current goal was to obtain a Key Crest for her. If she did not remain with the party there was a chance that Lloyd and the others could become too involved in their quest to stop the two worlds from hurting each other that Presea's condition was the least of their worries. Part of me thought it cold for me to believe they could forget her so easily and yet I knew the main reason I had joined them was for their connection to the girl that reflected my lover's face.

"At any rate, we should have a talk with Presea." I interrupted a small feud between Genis and Zelos once I snapped out of my own daze, turning to Lloyd to hope that he understood my concern.

"Yeah." He nodded to me, leading the way into the house.

A strange odor hit my nose as soon as we stepped inside, a scent that almost had me take a step back it was so overpowering. None of my new companions seemed to take notice of it until Lloyd stepped into the second room, freezing in place for a moment, having just inhaled.

"That smell…" The swordsman practically whispered.

Presea seemed immune to the odor, running from one side of the room to the other, distractedly and she did not even glance up as we came in. Her attention was centered wholly on what she was doing, her hollow eyes forward at all times, her small hands working without pause. For a moment I could not deny she appeared a puppet, that she was a doll because of her Exshpere, just as Zelos had warned and Colette had struggled to explain. There was no other explanation for her behavior, for the way she seemed so empty of anything that made one human. But then a gasp from Colette jarred me from the heartache I felt watching the pink haired child scurry about aimlessly. "Look!..."

I followed the gazes of my new comrades to see a bed in the corner that I had not noticed. There was definitely something under the covers of this bed, what could have been a person, but as my mind took into account the smell, and the idea of someone lying on that mattress, I was no longer certain. I did not want it to be so when the thought of what could be under those sheets came to me, but Raine was already there. And the look of horror in her expression was enough to confirm my fears. "…Oh my…how horrible…"

Zelos gagged loudly. "What the…this is not cool."

There was a corpse in that bed. Presea was oblivious to that fact. She was fiddling with something on the table in front of me, as if none of us were standing in her home and talking about her. Before she had been running from the head of the bed over to this table, but now she seemed to be working on something, the scent of death not distracting or disturbing her in the least.

"How could this happen?" Sheena questioned.

I had instinctively taken a step closer to Presea, the urge to shake her from this trance nearly overwhelming, and it seemed Raine had felt compelled to come closer to her as well, almost at my side when she came to the conclusion, "Most likely the effect of Exspheres' parasitism. Presea has no idea what had become of the person in that bed."

The pain in Genis' voice was unmistakable. "How could that…"

"Presea. Are you not coming with us?" I asked her softly. I had seen her strength before, and I was not willing to make myself a threat to her just to get an answer. Even if everything that made up my entire being wanted to question her, to know just how it was possible to see Alicia when I looked in her eyes, I could not do so now. While it was possible for her to respond, the rotting body in that bed was proof enough of how lost she was to the world right now. We had to bring her to see the dwarf that Colette spoke of. We had to get her a Key Crest.

There was always the chance that she had no answers for me, that her face was just an eerie coincidence, but even so, she did not deserve to go through what was left of her life this way. No one deserved to fall to the cruelty of Exspheres.

I was only slightly amazed that she turned to look up at me for just a moment. "I must…do my job…"

And then I was promptly ignored, as I no longer posed as a distraction, I suppose. She went back to what she was doing, and again I wanted to shake her. Where was the child that was trapped inside that small body? Where was the girl that should be out living a life free of such a curse as that stone, with whomever was in that bed to hold her hand? I wanted to find that girl; even if she had no connection to my lover other than they were both victims of something so horrible no real words could ever describe it.

_I could not save Alicia…I cannot allow the same mistake with Presea…_

Raine seemed reluctant to speak again. "…Let's leave Presea here for now."

Lloyd sprang to life again. "Here!"

From the corner of her eye she was looking down at the pink haired child for a moment, and then applying to the boy's reason. "If we try to move her, she will just fight back. Let's go see Altessa by ourselves to ask him about repairing the Key Crest."

He seemed just as reluctant to leave her behind. What was it that Colette had said about Lloyd being determined to save everyone? No sacrifices and such? No leaving anyone behind? I suppose it was fitting, being that he wanted to stop two worlds from sacrificing one another just to survive. With a sigh, he gave in to the wishes of the teacher Colette had informed me Raine was. "…Yeah."

As much as I did not want to leave Presea in this house, I could better serve her by going with this group to this Altessa to try to obtain her a Key Crest than to threaten her decision to stay here. Even in my reluctance I trailed my new companions back out into the small village, glancing over my shoulder a few times as if I expected the small girl to change her mind. I should not have expected that, for I had seen too many times now that she was being controlled by that damned stone, but I suppose I couldn't bring myself to stop hoping. Part of me did not want to give up on the child that seemed to have my beloved's face.

Sheena seemed to be attempting to get Genis' mind off the fact we had left Presea behind by mentioning that our cooking supplies were low. Colette had told me that Raine was the boy's older sister, which their similar appearances made obvious but the information had been appreciated, so I could see why she readily agreed with the idea of making a quick stop for ingredients before departing. Lloyd was quick to lead the way up another large tree branch where the small shop was located above us, but he stopped suddenly once he reached the top.

A strange man was blocking our path. He seemed to be fuming about something, his harsh gaze combing over all of us before he practically spat, "You're all with her, aren't you?"

"Her?" Lloyd repeated confused.

The man practically growled at the teenage swordsman. "Presea. You were with that monster."

In an instant I could see the small white haired mage light up with anger, his glare narrowed and sharp on this stranger. "Don't call Presea a monster!"

He took a step back, stunned that anyone would speak out for the girl that he seemed so contemptuous of. For a moment he could only shake his head in disbelief, and I could not stop myself from wondering just what his grudge against Presea could be. As far as I was concerned, because she was under the power of her Exshpere, she did not attack unless provoked even with her great strength. What could she have done to make this man think of her as some sort of monster? "Wh…what? She hasn't aged a day for the longest time!"

"…What are you talking about?" I demanded without thinking. There was too much on my mind right now for these games, and I could not stand to think that there might be something even worse going on with that poor girl who stared back at me with Alicia's eyes.

His piercing gaze met mine as he cried, "That's not all. Even though her father is dead, she won't even make him a grave. She's a monster. Half-elves are nothing compared to her."

Even as I heard Lloyd gasp I was bristling, much like Genis. Neither on of us wished to continue to listen to this man speak ill of a girl who could not defend herself from such accusations. I could see that her small knight was nearly reaching for his weapon as to make this stranger stop his ranting, but he kept his control as did I.

"Will you guys take that monster and get out of the village?" This man suddenly had the audacity to ask of us. "I'll thank you for it. You won't regret it."

"How can you say that!" Lloyd had grown angry as well.

Fury now back in place, the stranger flailed his arms. "Oh, so, you're saying a child that never grows up isn't weird!"

What did he mean, a child that never grows up? How was it possible that Presea could not have aged a day? Yes, she was practically controlled by her Exshpere, and it increased her strength enough to wield an ax that should have been much too large for her, but could it have effected her growth? Had it made it so that she stayed a child? Could one of those evil stones do that to someone as well as turn them into a monster?

_Presea…how did this happen to you?_

The leader of our party was caught off guard, unable to respond to such heated words when the situation was too complicated to explain off hand. "Well, I…But there's a reason why Presea is like that…"

"Hmph. I don't know what it is, but it doesn't change how freaky she is. I doubt you outsiders would understand." With that he ran past us, down the tree branch. I thought it particularly foolish of him to go right by Genis, as the boy still seemed struggling to contain himself, but the young mage made no advance on him.

The awkward silence was broken by the dark haired ninja, who seemed a bit dejected. "Outsiders…It's true that we didn't watch Presea stay young while everyone else grew old."

So she had no doubt that Presea had not aged in a long period of time? She was just going to take the word of a raving stranger who set her off balance by calling us all outsiders? Perhaps what he said was true, and certainly the mysteries of Exspheres made it possible, but did that mean that poor girl had a choice in this? That she _chose_ to become a doll? I was clenching my hands in to fists, knowing that arguing with Sheena was not going to get me anywhere. Truth or not, it already seemed that the people in this village avoided Presea. And that man had known about the dead body in her house.

"But…that's not Presea's fault!" Genis insisted defensively for his friend.

"It's the same reason half-elves are persecuted." Zelos pointed out, which surprised me that he would want to talk about a subject like that. Although when Colette had told me that Raine and Genis were both half-elves, to which I had already suspected as much, I was a little stunned to see the Chosen of Tethe'alla so friendly with the both of them.

"Yes. If half-elves could live apart from humans like elves, things might be different, but half-elves have no choice but to live in human villages." Raine put in with a long sigh. These thoughts had to have plagued her a lot, I could tell.

"And humans experience the difference in the passage of time and are constantly reminded of the fact that they are different species." Why I had to add that I do not know. I had never been one to discriminate against half-elves, and even though I knew the reasons that others found the disgusting need to, I did not understand their feelings towards the poor people caught in the middle of humans and elves.

Lloyd had been staring at the ground sadly, his shoulders slumped. "…Let's save Presea. Nothing good can come out of it if she stays this way."

Altessa's was not far from Ozette, just on the outskirts. Raine, Lloyd, Colette, and Zelos had given themselves the task of buying new weapons and armor for the party so that we would be prepared when we left town, while Sheena and Genis insisted on finishing the shopping for ingredients. Since I had not readily volunteered for anything, Raine suggested that I accompany both the mage and ninja, just in case. In case of what, she neglected to mention.

Once we had enough food to last us for quiet a while, we began back down the large tree branch, Genis in the lead for he saw Lloyd and the others were waiting anxiously for us. Sheena had been walking next to me for a moment now, an almost pensive look on her face as her mouth opened a few times, closing just as quickly to swallow whatever it was she might have said.

"I've been wondering about this for a little while now, but…you want me to get those things off your wrists?" She finally asked gesturing to the shackles I wore with a small, friendly smile now that she had found her voice.

I don't think she noticed that I blanched at her suggestion. "There is no need."

That was the only response I could muster, given I had never expected any of them to even suggest it, much less the summoner. Colette had gone into great detail about the pacts Sheena had managed to make with the Summon Spirits of Slyvarant, and generally how powerful the girl now next to me was. I was not exactly well-versed in Mizuho's customs, except their type of fighting style really, and I was not anticipating her to nearly laugh off what I'd said.

"But isn't it kind of inconvenient like that?" Again she was staring at my bound wrists, her head cocked to the side in confusion. I suppose it would seem odd to her that anyone would want to remain restrained, and choose to do so.

My throat began to feel tight. How could I explain this to her without giving myself away, or worse yet, lying to them? Their goal was relatively the same as mine, they wanted to save Presea. I did not need to alienate myself from any of them, not when I could still keep most of my past hidden from them. I did not truly wish to keep secrets from them; I really had no reason to, other than the selfish need to ensure that I could talk with Presea and possibly get my answers. "I've never felt it to be particularly inconvenient."

At this she smiled even more, as if she had completely forgotten how I had pretty much made myself their enemy before. "Don't be shy to ask for help. I'm great at opening locks."

She made a step towards me, and I instinctively took one back, trying to ignore the hurt that flashed through her gaze. I was fumbling for a way out of this situation that would not end with the both of us at odds, so I hurried to insist, "I told you there is no need."

Again she tried to laugh off my attempts to refuse her kindness, still moving closer to inspect the handcuffs I wore. "Ahh, I see. You're just embarrassed. Don't worry about it. Just let me see them for a minute."

I should not have reacted like I did. She did not know what it was she was suggesting, what it would have meant for me to remove my bonds, and yet I couldn't stop myself from jerking violently from her reach. Yelling at her didn't help either, but I snapped before I could regain control. "That's enough!"

Any pain I had seen in her a moment before fled her instantly, her reflexes causing her to draw back from me in case I might lash out at her. Then she clenched her fists at her sides, mad that I had rejected her kind, albeit misguided, offer rudely. "Ah…hey! And here I was being nice to you! Fine then, I won't take them off even if you come back and ask!"

She stormed off to where the others were waiting, and I was almost reluctant to follow. If she had asked anything else of me I would not have reacted so badly. I would have been able to keep calm if she had talked to me about anything else, if she had wanted to know why I wore them like Lloyd had, I could have handled that. But she wanted to remove them! She wanted me to cast off these metal restraints as if they meant nothing, and although she could not have known that they meant anything at all, I could not help my reaction.

_Someday…she may understand…_

"Hey, Regal!" Zelos' voice brought me out of my thoughts, and I saw him waving at me while the others were headed off back in the direction of Presea's house since that was the fastest way to the dwarf's location. "Come on! We're leaving!"

Heaving a sigh I hurried to rejoin them, careful not to meet Sheena's gaze. I did not want to risk another confrontation, or incur more of her anger, since I could not apologize for my behavior without admitting why I refused her attempt to be kind. There was not another delay for the group to get moving, other than just before we left Ozette I had to look back a Presea's home, thinking for a moment that I saw her in the window.

Who could think that poor girl a monster?

Altessa's home was in the side of a large hillside, set into the rock much like a cave would be. Dwarves were not known to be surface dwellers, so few were ever seen, and it seemed this one could not even leave behind an earthen home. Lloyd ran up the hill ahead, either determined, or eager to go inside. Had that strange man's accusations of Presea added to his resolve to set things right with the small girl?

I was amazed at just how eager the swordsman was though, for he went right in the front door without knocking, gesturing for all of us to follow. I thought the abrupt entrance strange, rude even, but no one else seemed bothered, trailing behind our young leader as if it were always ordinary to enter the house of someone we did not know without permission.

A young woman stopped in her tracks at our entry, staring at Lloyd, not with surprise, or even annoyance, but quite evenly. "WHO IS IT?"

Her voice was peculiar, devoid of emotion with the same even tone for each syllable. I let my eyes scan her and noticed that she was not breathing, or if she was breathing, she'd been well trained in being able to keep any movement and sound that would indicate it hidden. Her green hair was tied back neatly, and the small dark dress was familiar, but I pushed that thought aside quickly, wondering where the dwarf that supposedly lived here could be.

"Ah, excuse us. We've heard that there is a dwarf living here." Lloyd suddenly seemed to remember his manners, watching this young woman curiously. Had he noticed how she didn't seem to be breathing, or did he just find the sound of her voice odd? "Is there any chance we could see him?"

"YOU DESIRE A MEETING WITH MASTER ALTESSA." Our hostess replied in that polite, even tone. "PLEASE COME INSIDE."

She took us into the house where there was a small staircase leading to what could have been a modest workshop. Here was the dwarf, a rough looking creature who seemed startled to have company, unlike the woman who was at his side in a few even strides. Sharp eyes usually focused on craftwork scanned over each of us before he barked out, "Who are you people?"

"My name is Lloyd." Why no one else spoke I couldn't be certain, but perhaps they were more used to such odd situations with the crimson wearing swordsman since they had been with him longer. "We've come in regards to Presea. We heard about you from Kate in Sybak."

The color drained from Altessa's face. "…Leave!"

He turned to the desk at this side as if that could shut the rest of the world out, the young woman turning to watch his expression. I noticed that his hands were clenched at his sides, and he seemed waiting for the sounds of our retreating footsteps.

But Lloyd did not give up that easily, and he seemed more angry than confused by this response. "What?"

Not looking at him, the dwarf growled out. "I don't want anything more to do with that girl! Get out of here!"

I could only guess the green haired woman that had greeted us at the door was a servant of his, for once he again told us to leave, and she gently escorted us away from the work area back to where we had spoken with her before. Her face had not changed, she did not even seem uneasy with the fact that the teenage swordsman was fuming now, glaring at her.

"What was that all about?" He demanded in frustration.

"I APOLOGIZE." What could she be that she did not breathe and she spoke in such a mechanical sounding voice? Was she even human? I doubted it, but pushed the concern to the back of my mind. Altessa had refused to help Presea. Without his help, was there a way to restore her to the child she should have been? Was there a way to reach the little girl that was trapped inside that doll when we could not even obtain a Key Crest from this dwarf? "THE MASTER DOES NOT WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITH PRESEA."

"Why?..." Genis questioned sharply throwing up his hands, albeit helplessly. I sympathized with him. I did not understand how the dwarf could reject us before we could even plead our case. It was at the mention of Presea's name that he had become unstable, so did that mean there was a connection between them? Did he know something? "He doesn't care if she dies!"

The thought was ghastly. She was so young; she did not deserve death, not by that damned stone someone had attached to her. Colette had tried to explain the situation, but she had not really understood the secondhand information she had received from Lloyd and Zelos, and therefore I had not gotten many details from her. All I knew was that that Exshpere was trying to destroy her, and I could not allow that to happen to her, even if it was only to discover she had no ties to Alicia. But what could I do if this dwarf was unwilling to assist us? I had never studied Exshperes much, I knew very little about them, or Key Crests, but there had to be something I could do. What would be needed to reign in the power of her Exshpere so it no longer controlled her? What was missing from her stone that had caused this?

"IT IS NOT THAT. IT IS BECAUSE THE MASTER REGRETS WHAT HE HAD DONE." The young woman tried to explain to Genis to calm him down.

"Then please, save Presea!" Colette implored clasping her hands in front of her in what could have been a plea. "All she needs is for her Key Crest to be fixed."

"…I DO NOT KNOW IF THAT WOULD TRULY BE IN HER BEST INTEREST." Was the hesitant reply from our hostess. It was the first sign of emotion from her, the first sign of her actually thinking about something before saying it, and I noticed her eyes dart back in the direction of her master for just a split second. Her reluctance to answer said that she knew more about Presea's condition than she, or the dwarf, were willing to let on.

"Why?" Lloyd remarked hotly. "How could anything be worse than living in that cruel condition waiting to die!"

It was then that the young woman seemed to give in to whatever sympathy she might have had for Presea, just barely glancing over her shoulder as if she would be caught saying too much. "IF YOU ARE THAT COMMITTED, THEN YOU SHOULD SEARCH FOR INHIBITOR ORE."

"Presea's Key Crest isn't made out of inhibitor ore?" Lloyd asked in surprise.

The woman nodded slightly. "CORRECT. HER CREST IS--"

"Tabatha! What are you doing? Get rid of them!" The dwarf must have just become aware of our lingering presence, shouting from the other room and cutting off this Tabatha before she could finish what she'd been trying to tell us.

"I APOLOGIZE, I MUST RETURN." She told us hurriedly yet her tone was still even, emotionless, just as Presea's had been. "PLEASE COME BACK AGAIN. I WILL ATTEMPT TO PERSUADE HIM."

Dejected, Lloyd began to head for the door, which Zelos was nearest to. We filed out, back into the dwarf's front yard, standing out on the hill now sullen. Their main goal was to fix the system of one world always flourishing while the other paid the price and went into decline, but they also did not want to sacrifice anyone. Presea had even been one of them for a time, according to Colette, so obviously, they did not want to lose her.

And if Altessa would not help us, we would have to save her on our own. But what could I do? I did not know how to repair a faulty Key Crest. What could I actually do to save this girl whose face reflected that of my beloved?

Colette sighed heavily. "Where can we find inhibitor ore?"

I could not repair the girl's Key Crest, but I had access to the metal we required to help her. Why had I not thought of it before? How could I have allowed myself to become so distracted? "I've heard it's mined in the mountain range that extends between Altamira and the Ymir Forest. I would like to help if you're going to create a Key Crest for Presea. I can lead you to the mine."

Lloyd's brown eyes locked on my own, quizzical. "Just what is your relation to Presea, anyway?"

I was more than relieved that it was my concern for Presea he questioned, and not my knowledge of where to find inhibitor ore. Having worded my suggestion to sound as if I had obtained the information in passing from some forgotten source, I hoped to distract them all from the fact that I knew all too much about those mines. That, and I had no reason to lie to them, none of them had lied to me as far as I could tell, and they had kept nothing from me. But I could not divulge everything to them yet, not my connection to the mines, or the suspicion I had of my ties to Presea. I actually had no idea if Presea was nothing more than someone who wore a resemblance to my lover, so I did not lie when I replied, "There is none."

Raine was watching me over her shoulder, probably expecting to catch me in some sort of lie. Out of the entire party, she seemed to be the most suspicious, the most skeptical. "Yet you sure seem concerned about her."

The crimson wearing swordsman shrugged when I did not give the Professor any sort of response. I found it better if I said little so that I could avoid having to cover up anything I felt they shouldn't know yet, than to actually have to be dishonest with these kind people. "Well, either way, you haven't done anything suspicious so far. You're welcome to come along with us."

_Would you say that if you knew…?_

"Inhibitor ore is found relatively near the surface of the Exshpere mine." I told him, having gone over every word in my mind twice already to make sure that it would not cause them to question me now. I had already created some animosity between Sheena and myself, so I could not risk giving away too much of my true identity while I was still so new to this group. As foolish as it was to hope they could accept me whether or not they knew of my past, it was even more foolish to want them to accept me now when rejection was only waiting on the horizon. "The mine I know of is across the sea from here, on the southern continent."

"You said Altamira, right?" Zelos exclaimed with excitement. "That place is awesome! Let's stop by there on the way!"

My gut twisted in horror, even if it would have never shown on my face. Just the thought of having to go anywhere near Altamira was enough to freeze me in place. I was not ready to go back there, I might never be ready to go back there. And how could I explain that to any of them if they all decided to go with the Chosen's suggestion to stop by Altamira on the way to the mine? No matter what excuse I could concoct, I had a very slim chance of fooling Zelos if I showed any sort of reluctance to enter the gates of that town.

But my fears were soon eased by none other than the summoner that I had angered before. "We don't have time to hang out at that gaudy resort!"

Even Raine was distracted now, gazing out at the far horizon, suddenly nervous. She seemed apprehensive, murmuring to herself. "The sea?...We're going out to sea again?"

"Okay, then. Let's go." Lloyd cheered, oblivious to his teacher's discomfort.

"Yeah! Let's hurry." Colette agreed, and then led the way down the hill. Genis chased after Lloyd, only stopping to make sure Raine was behind him, and Sheena was right on their heels. I was about to follow the rest of the group when I realized that Zelos had not moved from where he stood, which made me determined to keep my gaze straight ahead.

"…By the way, this had been bugging me for a while now." His statement brought about a sense of déjà vu of my previous encounter with Sheena, but I kept my expression stoic as though I didn't hear him. "Haven't we met somewhere before?"

I could not answer him without lying; there was no way around it. I could both answer in the affirmative and lose my only chance to help Presea, to get closer to Presea, or I could do the only thing that would ensure he might avoid another confrontation such as this. Ignoring the fact he was only feet from me, his gaze focused on me intently while awaiting some sort of reply, I walked right by him. The action was totally against my nature, I was not raised to be so blatantly rude to anyone, but I had to do this. I could not let him realize who I am just yet.

"…Fine, ignore me!" He called behind me. "Not very friendly, are ya?"

No one found it odd how when we entered the Toize Valley Mine that I went slightly ahead, or that I was observing the machines that guarded the mine carefully. Perhaps Zelos was enough of a distraction though, laughing as soon as he perceived all around us, acting like a small child that no one really noticed what I was doing. "Wow! So this is that sealed mine! It sure looks like it might house a ghost or two, don't you think? Hmm?"

Again, Sheena did not seem interested in allowing him to behave as if we were not on a mission. "Argh! Will you just be quiet for a little while!"

The Chosen was doing well to keep the attention on himself, which meant I had another moment to inspect the guard system that as far as they knew I had no idea what it was or what it did. He crossed his arms over his chest giving her an annoyed glare. "What's with you? Don't get mad, Sheena."

That's when I finally saw it. One of the panels was heavily dented, another missing, wires already sticking out from it. Even though it was one of the best pieces of technology, it was a mess now, considering some of the major parts had been damaged. Now the system that was meant to keep intruders out was noting more than a raging obstacle that I could not disguise shutting down while the others had their backs turned. "…This isn't good."

It was as if I was suddenly brought back to their attention, only momentarily forgotten. Not that I took any offense, as I was planning to try to stay out of their focus long enough to disarm guard system. Lloyd spoke first. "What's wrong, Regal?"

"The door to the guard system is out of control." I informed him, hoping that it sounded more as if I were making a casual observation other than an informed one. Keeping my eyes on the machinery, I attempted to keep them slightly in the dark about my knowledge of the mine. "Someone must have destroyed it when trying to force their way through."

"Then let's bust it up even more!" the teenage swordsman suggested without hesitation, pumping a fist in the air. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to think of him now. His first solution was to finish what a band of would-be robbers had started? This was the young man the others had picked for their leader? To guide them on this journey? He was an idealist for sure, and he wanted to save both worlds as well as keep his friends safe, but he was so quick to act.

"That's our Lloyd! That's an easy to understand plan!" Zelos commented with a few snickers behind his hand even though he seemed to agree with the plan.

"Yeah. I'm fine with that, too." Sheena nodded, surprising me.

Colette smiled brightly. "Well, if Lloyd says so, it's fine with me."

Genis groaned at that, shaking his head at the both of them. "Don't blame me if it goes wrong."

Raine shook her head as well her shoulders slumping and it appeared she had to resist the urge to smack her own forehead. Was she used to these half-baked plans and Lloyd's impetuous nature? "…Honestly!"

Drawing his swords, Lloyd leapt into battle, triggering what was left of the guard system's defenses. As the mechanisms activated, the others rushed in to help as well. Genis was readying a Lightning spell as Raine was casting a Barrier over the crimson wearing swordsman in an attempt to protect him as well. Sheena was using her cards to attack one of the smaller floating guns, with Zelos keeping her safe from any shots the rest of the guard system could make on her from behind. Colette had made it to the auto repair unit using her strange Para Ball technique to strike it down and prevent it from regenerating any of the other units.

Realizing it would be strange not to join in on the chaos, I ran in to aid Lloyd so that we could take down the orbits quickly. I took a few too many hits without having the chance to block, and noticed that Raine was busy with casting a healing spell on Colette so that she could remain in the battle, and Zelos was casting his own Lightning spell on one of the units, so I pulled back.

I heard Lloyd yell something to me, as if he knew that I was injured, and I saw him moving towards me. That was until he saw a circle of light underneath my feet, as well as the concentration in my expression. I murmured only one word that I am certain he managed to hear over the sounds of the battle around us for a grin crossed his face just as my body was enveloped in the green light I had created for an instant. "Healer."

"Oh, you're a healer too!" He laughed, turning back to strike the orbit before it could recover from the pause in his relentless attacks. I rejoined him shortly, our combined attacks managing to take down the orbits which could not be revived thanks to Colette and Genis taking out the auto repair unit. The rest of the fight was short after that, considering the auto repair could no longer function, and the seven of us had taken to destroying it further.

Zelos laughed again when it was finally over, standing in front of the now open door that would take us into the mine. "Okay, good work everyone! Now, let's go get that whatchamacallit."

"Inhibitor ore!" Genis corrected him loudly, frustrated with the Chosen.

"Yeah, that!" the red headed charmer insisted, unfazed by the young mage's comment. He made as gesture for all of us to follow him in. "Come on, let's go!"

The rest of the party went in along with him, determined to move on after our victory. I could not help but hesitate, my gaze falling on the now destroyed guard system. I did not know who had been here before us who tried to force it open, but I could not understand Lloyd's logic in demolishing it further to gain access. Would that always be the solution? To fight whatever stood in our way? I shook my head. "…They're all so violent."

I had to be extremely careful in how I informed them of anything that lay before us in the mine. No matter how much easier it would have been to simply give them all of the facts I had about the mine, how it worked, and where the inhibitor ore would most likely be, that would only raise questions I could not answer. I could not tell them how I knew so much of the mines.

This meant I had to hold back pieces of information and it meant there were times I had to be silent and let them explore the mine on their own. I did not want to, I wanted to be able to tell them everything, but I could not risk their rejection so soon. Even though what I was doing seemed so selfish, the fear and the doubt in the back of my mind kept me from being completely honest with them. I told them only what I was certain they needed to know, even cautioned Lloyd from using the Sorcerer's Ring recklessly now that it would create small mana bombs.

Acting as guide, I led them deeper and deeper, springing to action when monsters appeared out of nowhere to challenge us. How the monsters had made it inside, I would concern with myself with later, I merely wanted to move onward. I wanted to leave this place, with the inhibitor ore so that we could help Presea, so that I could know for sure if there was some string of fate that connected me to her.

But I must have become distracted by trying to only divulge information that seemed more like general knowledge that I forgot about the trap until Lloyd stepped on it. No one was hurt by the boulder that came rolling down the slope after us, but I had made a mistake.

I could have gotten someone hurt, or worse.

Zelos was annoyed, his hands on his hips. "Whoa, that was close! What was that?"

"I'm sorry, I had forgotten. That's a trap to stop intruders." I murmured from behind him, watching his stance. Out of all of them, Zelos was the one that could identify me, if he only knew. And with that information he could, if he was so inclined, turn the rest of them against me. Was it so selfish of me to try to prevent that?

"Pay attention to what you're doing!" he scolded rather sharply.

"There's a switch on the wall ahead. If you press it, the boulders should stop coming out." I told Lloyd, since he seemed more likely to listen to me at the moment. He nodded and moved on ahead to find the switch, and instead found another device blocking our path. This time I gave them the entire span of my knowledge on the device, much to Raine's pleasure, and that served to help Lloyd come up with a plan to destroy it so we could proceed.

How long had it been since I was this deep into the Toize Valley Mine? I couldn't even recall considering I had not paid much attention to any of the tours I had taken of it years ago, only really remembering the waterfall. Once we were over the bridge, I gestured to the small area ahead of us, the deepest part of this stretch of underground caverns.

"This is the inhibitor ore mining area." From Lloyd, Colette, or Sheena, I didn't expect them to question why I knew all of this. Genis was probably too distracted with his need to protect Presea and save her from her Exsphere to pay much attention to me. It was Raine or Zelos that had me concerned. Yet the Professor did not say a word, she was not even looking at me. And the Chosen had been speaking with Colette while looking around since we had passed by the traps. I should not have still been worried at this point, we were to our goal, and soon they would focus on nothing but returning to Ozette, but my doubts were still with me.

Lloyd's gaze passed over the stacks of boxes. "So which one is inhibitor ore?"

"Hmm…let's search this area." I suggested, not knowing just which box contained the metal we required. "There may be some left over in the wooden boxes."

A loud groan came from Zelos. "Oh, please, I'm not going to go through all those boxes. Let's just blow them all up!"

"I agree!" the crimson wearing swordsman piped up instantly. I thought I heard Raine actually slap herself in the forehead this time, and I understood why. There were not that many boxes that we would have to search through, but again, Lloyd had decided to go with a more destructive approach, albeit the faster one.

After a few careful detonations, there was only a small box left. I opened it, handing its contents to Lloyd. "This is inhibitor ore."

"We did it, Lloyd." Colette cheered behind him, her bright smile nearly infectious. She clasped her hands in front of herself again, a habit of hers I assumed after seeing it so many times. "Now we can save Presea."

He smiled as well, clutching the metal in his gloved hand. Although there was a grin on his lips, his eyes were more contemplative combing over the piece of ore in his hand that we had all worked so hard to obtain. Didn't Colette say that he had been raised by a dwarf? I really wish when she'd been kind enough to try to fill me in on everyone that she had slowed down, as she had said everything much to fast for me to catch all of it. But if Lloyd had been raised by a dwarf, he might know some of their arts when it came to craftwork such as Key Crests. So was he trying to figure out if he could prepare it for Presea himself? "Yeah. All I need to do is prepare this."

"How long will that take?" I did not mean to rush him in anyway, as I had no idea what he planned to do to the ore to have it ready for the child waiting in Ozette, but I could not bear to think of Presea staying in that house surrounded by the stench of death with a corpse in the bed.

"To be honest, only a dwarf could do it right." He admitted, almost sheepishly. Turning the metal over in his hand again, he continued, "But if I carve the charm directly into this, I think it'll serve in place of a Key Crest. If that's all right, I can make it right away. Wait just a little bit."

Genis offered to make lunch if we were going to be staying for even a short amount of time, Colette offering to start a fire so he'd be able to cook. Raine was thankful to get off her feet taking a seat on a rock and pulling out a large book from her bag. Lloyd had also sat down, more off to the side, and Sheena had taken to watching him for a moment, and then decided that if she helped with lunch it would be done that much faster. Zelos complained for a minute or two before he went back to annoying Sheena.

I just took a deep breath, grateful for the fact that I had kept them oblivious, but ashamed of my ability to do so at the same time. Though I was not doing this to hurt them, I had no intention of breaking the trust they had given to me, I still regretted that I had to practically deceive them. It wasn't right, and it was gnawing at the back of my mind. Would they still trust me if I ever revealed myself to them, if they learned what I had been keeping from them?

During our rest and meal, my companions seemed perfectly at ease while Lloyd worked on the inhibitor ore in between bites. I had never seen him so focused, even in the battles on our way into this part of the mine. Dwarven arts did require the utmost skill and concentration, which until now I did not think our teenage leader capable of, but in practically the time it had taken for Genis to cook, everyone to eat, for Sheena and Zelos to fight over who would wash the dishes, and for Raine to finally command them both to just get them done, Lloyd had finished carving the charm into the metal.

He stood triumphantly. "…I think this will do. Later, once Presea has returned to her normal self, let's have Dad or Altessa make a real one."

I stood as well, giving him a small nod. "I understand. Then let's return. It's unbearable to leave Presea in that house steeped with the stench of death."

"Yeah." Lloyd agreed.

Our trek back towards the upper level of the mine was an unhindered one, as it seemed we had defeated all of the monsters that would try to block our path. As usual, our ever eager leader pulled ahead, Colette hurrying to keep in step with him, and Genis not far behind too distracted by something he was talking to the Chosen of Slyvarant about to give me small glares. It was as if he felt he needed to ward me off, even though he knew I meant Presea no harm.

But as we reached the exit, I heard a voice, and realized that someone was in our path. The young swordsman at the head of the group had noticed it as well, although he probably did not recognize the rough voice echoing off the walls like I did. "It's no good, there's no Exshperes around here either…"

I could not breathe. I should not have heard that voice, I should not have been able to hear that voice here, now, where it did not belong. This was not possible. But standing only yards away was none other than the man I had betrayed all of my morals to imprison, free, with two men who had to work for him. "…Vharely!"

He turned, still the stout, greasy man I had seen in my nightmares for so many years in my cell. He sneered at the sight of me, his yellow teeth showing as he gave me a sidelong glance since he had not seen me in quite some time. Did he know who I was? Was that why he was smirking like the vile creature I had always known him to be? His laugh was still dark, enough to make my skin crawl. "Regal! So you're the one that destroyed the guard system outside."

I knew my entire body had to be shaking, that with how tightly I had my fists clenched that my nails had to be digging into my skin enough to draw blood, but it didn't matter. That was the last thing on my mind. In the corners of my vision I was seeing red. There was a scream of rage clawing at my throat but I could not release it, I had to remain in control or I would do something that I would surely regret. Even if that bastard of a man was standing not far from me, even if every piece of my soul screamed to take him down, I had to stay back. I had to restrain myself.

"Who's that?" Lloyd asked in his confusion.

"That's…Vharely, the Exshpere broker." Zelos spoke up, thankfully. At the moment I would not have been able to explain anything to them. The Chosen sounded a bit confused by the presence of not only Vharely, but of the two men in armor he had with him. "What is he doing here?"

My gaze me that of the man I despised most in the entire world, and I snapped. "Why are you here! Why has the Pope let you stay free? That's not what I agreed to!"

"Hahaha! Did you think the Pope would really keep a promise to a murderer?" Was the taunt I received, the taunt that made my entire form just freeze. He'd called me a murderer, in front of all of them! He'd called me by the one thing I had never wanted any of them to hear, not yet, not when I was so close to all I needed before I could just end my journey with them! I merely needed to talk to Presea, and even that Vharely was ready to take from me! "And you've forgotten your promise to bring us Colette! You joined them!"

_It wasn't supposed to be like this! They weren't supposed to find out like this!_

But fear gave way to anger, and hate, emotions that I had buried for the sake of my sanity long ago, lashing out without reason, without my bidding. If there was anyone in the two worlds that I hated with every fiber of my being, it was Vharely. "Silence! If the Pope will not fulfill his promise, then I will punish you myself!"

"No way! I'm getting out of here!" Vharely shouted, gesturing to his men to retreat. So they ran away from me, cowards until the end. I would have followed, I should have followed and delivered his punishment as I had waited to do for years, but that would mean leaving the others behind, leaving behind my chance to speak with Presea.

And it would mean running away from my shame. I saw them all turning to me, I saw the confusion in their eyes and I knew how soon that confusion would turn to disgust. There was no doubt that they had heard Vharely's comment, that they were wondering why he would say such a thing. Perhaps it had only been a matter of time; I should not have pretended that it would be anything else but a matter of time before they found out! I could barely look into the eyes of Colette or Lloyd, the ones that seemed to have trusted me the most in the short time I had accompanied them.

"Regal, who was that man?" The blonde young girl asked me timidly.

"He called you a murderer…" Genis murmured in disbelief.

I could feel the blood in my palms, but made no move to loosen my balled fists. I could feel their eyes on me, and yet I couldn't lift my gaze from the mine floor. "I am a prisoner serving for the crime of murder. I won't blame you if you look down on me."

…_Or if you hate me…_

There was an anxiousness in Lloyd's voice, almost a desperation. Was he hurt that I broke his trust? Was he trying to explain to himself why he had found it so easy before to turn a blind eye to the fact that I was indeed a criminal before he even met me? "What happened?"

Why was it so hard to stare him in the face, I had done something like this once before, as hard as it had been then, as painful as just the memory of was. I took a deep breath to steady my voice, hating how weak I felt in front of them now, hating how I wondered desperately as to what they were thinking now. "Explaining would be an excuse. I committed a crime. That's all that needs to be said."

"…My stupid actions have killed many people." An expression of pain gripped his youthful features. "…I don't know what you did, and your crime won't go away, but when you're suffering it's all right to at least say so."

"Um, I don't know how to explain it very well, but I think we have the Goddess inside all our hearts." Colette added as if to soothe me. I could not believe that they were not furious with me, that they were not ordering me to stay far away from Presea. Did they not truly understand what I was? "So I think the Goddess also bears the burden of your sins with you. Um…that's all."

_I do not deserve your kindness…_

"…Perhaps someday I will have the opportunity to tell the story…" I told them in a hollow voice. What did my promises mean to them now? Why would they want to listen to the tale of a criminal, of a murderer? "I apologize…"

Raine had grown uncomfortable in the silence that came over all of us, turning back to her students as if to wake them from some sort of daze. "If necessary we can discuss this later, in a better place. For now we still need to return to Ozette and save Presea from the parasitism of her Exsphere, all right?"

"Yeah." He turned to lead the way out of the mine, but not without glancing back at me. I had seen the look that he held in his eyes too many times before. It was the same look that so many people had given me over the years, the look that always invaded the eyes of those who knew I had blood on my hands.

"_Your Majesty…" One of the Royal Guard announced, glancing over at the other knights that had followed him to the throne room and then at the foreboding man behind them. Shifting nervously on the balls of his feet, worried about what would come of this he then continued loudly, albeit shakily, "Duke Bryant insists he speak with you immediately."_

_The King of Tethe'alla tried to see if the shadowy figure behind his guards was indeed the young nobleman announced, but the lighting of the room was not enough to reveal the identity of this separate party approaching the throne. Concern etched into his brow, the ruler tried to think of a reason that Regal Bryant would need to see him so abruptly, but came up with no answers of his own. "Then bring him forward."_

_When the knights parted to the sides of the carpet the man that had been concealed by the dim lighting stepped forward towards the stairs leading up to where the King sat with his daughter at his side. Once this man was within their view Princess Hilda shrieked in terror, even His Majesty gasped at what he perceived. It was indeed Duke Bryant that had come in with the Royal Guard, dressed in all the finery he was accustomed to, yet his normally flawless appearance had been shattered by the blood soaking into the front of his shirt and jacket along with the red stains on his hands and the right side of his face._

_Left on his face were the remnants of tears streaking down under his eyes, his normally immaculate and slicked back hair in disarray, the front of his shirt ripped diagonally from his left shoulder to his abdomen. Without thinking, His Majesty stood, even more worried for the young man he considered a friend, glancing at his Royal Guard as if they had any knowledge of what could have happened to the Duke._

"_Duke Bryant, what—?"_

"_I killed her." Agony lit azure eyes as they stared at the blood that painted his hands, stained his clothes. Never before had anyone seen him so distraught, so unraveled. Every limb of his body shook violently, a new wave of sobs battling up to escape the confines of this throat, and his breathing was soon shallow barely enough being gulped into his lungs. "I…killed her."_

"_Bryant, what are you talking about?" King Tethe'alla demanded, only having caught a bit of the noble's quiet response, alarm plain on his face._

"_I am a…murderer." The words were forced out as if each one had burnt his tongue on its exit; eyes squeezed shut to keep away the images springing into his mind. Then Duke Bryant did his best to draw in a deep breath, steeling his shoulders, clenching his fists tight, and gathering all of his courage to look the ruler of Tethe'alla in the eye when the world seemed to sway in and out of focus. He had given up on the long trip from Altamira to Meltokio that this might just be a horrible nightmare, that there was still a chance he would wake up in his own bed any second now. Steadying his voice back to that of the man he'd been only hours before, Regal said again, "I killed her. I murdered Alicia Combatir."_

_For the second time Princess Hilda screamed, hurrying out of the room having all she could take of this, skirts rustling with the fast movement. The King could not believe his ears. He knew Duke Bryant, just as he had known the younger man's father, and he knew both of them had always been decent, upstanding, honorable men. Regal Bryant could not be a criminal, no, it wasn't possible!_

_But there was so much blood on the Duke's clothes, on his hands, even on his face. Did that not confirm what Bryant had admitted to? No, there was blood, that much was obvious, but had there been a crime? Had it really been murder? As King he had to remain calm and to set an example of strength for all the eyes on him. "Bryant, what happened?_ How _did it happen?"_

"_The circumstances are irrelevant." Tears had flooded that broken azure gaze, but everything else down to his posture was stoic. "I murdered Alicia."_

"_No, it couldn't have happened just like that!" the King did not hide his frustration, balling his fists in an attempt to contain himself. The Royal Guards were passing their glares over their lord and master, back to the Duke, silently watching this unfold in front of them. King Tethe'alla took another moment to collect himself before, subtly, pleading with Regal to reword what he was saying. "Tell me what really happened."_

_Duke Bryant looked away in shame. "There is no story to tell. I killed her."_

_He had confessed before the king, and by law, branded himself a criminal. All of the strength having evaporated from his body, Regal fell to his knees on the red carpet, head hung so his long bangs now hid his face. "I have come to accept my punishment."_

_The King wanted to scream at him, to yell at him to explain what had occurred, because he knew Regal was an honest man. That meant he had killed Alicia Combatir, yet that did not speak of the "irrelevant circumstances" of her death. There had to have been more. Duke Bryant would not have hurt anyone without sound reason, but if he did not admit that reason there was nothing the King could do to help him now._

_The King waited. And he waited and he waited. Regal said nothing more. So the ruler of Tethe'alla found that he had to turn away, to do anything but look at the younger man as he made a gesture to the knights bearing witness to all of this. "Take him away then."_

_Two of the guards came up on each side of the nobleman, taking his arms to pull him to his feet, one of them reciting protocol. "Duke Bryant, by the order of the King and the laws of Tethe'alla, you are under arrest for the murder of Alicia Combatir, and will be held in the dungeon for life for your crime."_

_There were no sounds of struggle as Regal was carried away, a broken man._

To be continued

**End notes:** First of all, I know there wasn't any blood on Regal during the flashback in Altamira where it shows how he killed Alicia. But I decided that this was a bit more fitting, and although I am kinda squeamish myself, I thought the blood would be much more dramatic. Also, I added a tiny bit of dialogue at the end of the last scene in the mine, since I always thought it was weird that they ended it without a very good transition. My only other comment is that I am really enjoying the angst, and can't wait to get further into the game! Oh, and thanks to Christie, who has been supporting me from page one! This is for her!


	3. Three

**Title:** On my Honor

**Author:** Yamato795

**Pairing:** Lots of mentions of RegalxAlicia, but no other ones planned at the moment…

**Rating:** Let's go PG-13 to be safe, since they do swear in the game, and the violence.

**Status:** Chapter 3 out of ? parts. Lots planned, but a number is not clear just yet.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Tales of Symphonia. Please don't sue me.

**Spoilers:** A TON, mostly for Regal. I'd say this story is better suited for those who have beaten the game if you ask me. Read at your own risk of spoiling anything. Since it starts where Regal comes in, it should spoil quite a bit of the game after that, don't you think?

**Summary:** Take a look through Regal's eyes as well as a look into his past.

**Author notes: **I suppose the best thing I can mention at this point is that, while thinking up the idea for this story, I realized that there is not a lot of background actually given about Regal. That very well might be why he is not one of the more popular characters, but it also gave me some room to kinda play with his character. No, I'm not trying to entirely change the way he is in the game, I'm trying to show you why he is the way he is. I've actually come up with a pretty extensive background for him, thanks to Christie's help might I add, and it will mostly come through in the flashbacks. I hope that everyone enjoys this chapter, I know it took me a while to finish it, but I did have finals and such. College is supposed to come first, right? Oh, and flash backs are still in italics. I hope you enjoy! Thanks to Christie for all the support!

On my Honor

Chapter three

I expected the others to be wary of me know that they knew of my sins. I anticipated their hate, their disgust, and most of all, their rejection. But they did not send me away nor did they tell me to keep away from Presea. Even Genis, who had done everything in his power to keep me away from the pink haired girl, did not reinstate his wishes for me to keep my distance from her like when we reached Ozette. I was even more surprised when, on our way to the pier to board the EC, he fell in step next to me.

"…You've…killed a human being?" He questioned quietly with his eyes on the ground. I had never seen Genis so sullen, not even when Presea had told him that she did not require his protection.

"…That's correct." I told him after a deep breath. If any of them were to hate me for my crimes, to give me the harsh treatment I deserved, it would be this boy. I would not blame him for it, I knew I was a criminal and that I had blood on my hands, I would not deny it, and I would accept his loathing because it was just. Genis had every right to despise me, they all did.

"…" Before he turned his expression from mine I could see that he had squeezed his eyes shut tight, and I could only guess at how much repulsion he must feel in my presence.

"…I apologize." What else could I do? I had nearly deceived them, even though they had known I was a criminal when they met me, and for that I would lose their trust. I had selfishly tried to hide my sin only to have it exposed in the worst way. "I imagine it's not easy traveling with a criminal. I hope you can tolerate me for a short while. Just long enough for us to save Presea from the curse of her Exsphere."

I saw his fists clench before he whispered, "…I…I'm a murderer, too."

That I had not expected him to say. "…What?"

The shame the gripped his expression was enough to stir an ache up in my gut, making me almost wish I had never led them to the Toize Valley Mine. First I had caused Lloyd to remember his past mistakes, the fact that his journey had been far less than bloodless, and now it seemed I was causing more pain in Genis. "I've hurt countless people in order to protect myself."

"…" I did not know that if I told him our situations were not the same if it would alleviate any of his guilt. I did not think he even wanted my comfort, and I wanted to believe that perhaps he was doing this to help me.

"I don't know what it was you did…" Genis said softly, still unable to look at me directly, his head hung with his white bangs nearly hiding his eyes. For a moment I was quite stunned that it seemed as if he was trying to be kind to me, that he seemed to be reaching out to me. "But I won't tell you to leave just because you've killed people."

"…I see." He would never know what those words meant to me, especially coming from him.

"Because we're all the same." He murmured, probably to himself.

"Thank you." I replied still trying to meet his gaze.

Suddenly, he head snapped up, his guilt and somber disposition gone as if in that instant he remembered just who he was conversing with, quickly replaced by the hostility I had come to sadly expect from him. Visibly bristling, he shouted, almost defiantly, up at me, "But that doesn't mean I like you, understand!"

"I see." To be honest, I really didn't. Why had he gone out of his way to speak with me like this when it was obvious how much he disliked me? Was it that learning of my crime had reminded him of his own guilt? I regretted now that I had not told him that taking the lives of those that meant to take yours was more about defense and survival than murder. It was something completely different than taking the life of someone who was innocent, someone who had never done anything wrong.

Yet I lost my chance to soothe his pain because he ran ahead to continue walking to the pier with Raine. I could have chased after him, I could have caught up with him so that I could talk to him, but I doubted Genis would listen or that he would want comfort from me. Someday, he might come to understand on his own, in spite of whether or not I tried to explain away some of his guilt.

Even so I still regretted not going after him. Genis was far too young to carry the weight of a sin such as murder, and I hated to imagine a child suffering such as I did. The world was already cruel enough to those of his breed, and to add the burden of his guilt seemed to intensify his pain. At least I could take some degree of solace in the fact that I knew he was not alone, that he had his friends around him to make sure that his suffering did not consume him. I had not always been so fortunate.

The tension between my companions and I was still nearly tangible when we entered the village of Ozette for the second time. Not many of them had even acknowledged my presence on our short journey back, nor had any of them gone out of their way to speak to me again. I allowed them their time, for I was unsure of what they thought of having a murderer in their midst. After all, they had not shunned me for my crime, so I could do no less than to give them both time and space to adjust to the idea.

But other circumstances would not allow that time. As we passed the inn, a male voice carried over to my ears. "That's them! The wanted criminals!"

Up ahead, over by the armor shop, was not only the man who had spotted our party first, but two Papal Knights with their commander. They had to have been searching for us. Zelos groaned loudly at the fact the servants of the Pope had caught up to us. "Ah crap, not the Papal Knights again!"

The man that had spotted us allowed the knights to brush past him, watching how Lloyd, Sheena, and Zelos advanced first to meet them halfway. I glanced down at Genis, who seemed to tense visibly, and edge closer to Raine. He was obviously aware of the caste system of Tethe'alla if he was so anxious in the presence of these soldiers. The Papal Commander laughed at the sight of the red headed Chosen. "Well, well, if it isn't Master Zelos. I trust you are well."

As he said this, more of his men appeared from their hiding places behind buildings of the village, quickly surrounding our group. Even in their heavy armor they had managed the maneuver fast enough to box all of us in. I was beginning to think that if they had come in such numbers that perhaps they hadn't been searching for us, but expecting us. Had they identified Presea as a member of our party and decided to wait until we returned for her?

"Dammit!" Lloyd hissed clenching a fist, frustration written all over his features.

"Remember, capture Colette alive!" the Papal Commander shouted, waving for his men to advance. Sheena had jumped in front of Colette instinctively to keep one of the knights from reaching her, using her Pyre Seal to knock him back. Lloyd had, while deflecting the spear of the Papal Commander, also started making his way towards the blonde girl to keep her safe. Zelos had charged one of the other knights keeping them at bay with his swordsmanship, but both Genis and Raine hung back, powering up spells. Some of the knights saw this.

With a cry one of the knights charged at Genis, preparing to jar him from his spell casting, spear poised and ready. The boy had his eyes shut, he wouldn't have time to defend himself or finish his spell. I reacted without thinking, dashing over to deflect the oncoming blow with my Spin Kick, knocking the weapon from my enemy's hands. I had been about to combine that attack with my Rising Dragon, but the half-elven boy behind me cried out, "It's pancake time! Stalagmite!"

Before the knight could even reach the ground, stunned from the rocks that had emerged from the earth to throw him into the air, I lunged, throwing my left leg out for his head. "Swallow Kick!"

When the servant of the Pope finally did hit the dirt, he did not get back up. As I turned to dodge an attack from another of the Papal knights, I caught the look on Genis' face. He was stunned that I had defended him, whether it was because of the way he treated me, which was warranted at best, or because he knew me for a criminal, I cannot be certain. He may not have been aware I had even seen his expression, yet it was still quickly replaced by one of concentration as he powered up his next magical attack.

For all of the prestige of their name, and the history of their position, these Papal Knights did not live up to the stories of their predecessors. There had been a time when a Papal Knight would stand against anyone in battle, there was no foe they could not conquer, but these men were falling at the hands of children. They were easily overwhelmed by the determination of our group, as with Raine's healing and defensive magic we could continue on unhindered.

The Papal Commander was the last one standing, Lloyd having been matching him blow for blow until the young swordsman surprised him by unleashing a Beast technique, catapulting him backwards. I heard his pitiful moan even as I turned to examine the condition of my comrades. "Long live the Pope…"

Lloyd seemed to be doing the same, glancing over each of us for injuries that the Professor might have overlooked in the heat of battle. Once he seemed satisfied, he released a sigh of relief stretching his arms. "We managed to win."

"It's my fault again. I'm so sorry, everyone." Colette murmured her hands clasped in front of her and her gaze downcast. I had seen her apologetic nature before, as she seemed inclined to apologize for things that were well beyond her control, as if even the smallest thing that went wrong was her doing. Now everyone was observing the Chosen of Slyvarant, including the red headed swordsman who was shaking his head.

"Don't be silly." Zelos remarked with a grin waving his hand a bit dismissively at her, his gentle tone meant to reassure her. "They're after my life, too. The Professor and Genis are wanted because they're half-elves; Sheena is from Mizuho, now considered a village of traitors. And Regal is considered a traitor as well."

Although this information had to be far from comforting, considering all of her friends were wanted fugitives, Colette smiled. "…thanks."

In response, Lloyd returned her smile. "Stop thinking everything is your fault."

"I'm sorry, Lloyd." It had to be an automatic reply for her to have said it even after his admonishment, for Colette had to understand that the Papal Knights waiting for us here could not have been by any fault of hers. The Pope had been the one to order for her capture, Zelos had gotten caught up with them somehow, as had Sheena, and the travelers from Slyvarant were wanted for many other reasons. Or perhaps the young girl was used to blaming herself anyway, as she apologized constantly.

"You don't need to apologize for it…" the brunette swordsman began.

Colette suddenly collapsed to her knees, her arms hanging limp at her sides while her face was contorted with pain. It was so abrupt to witness her fall that I don't believe any of us could react before she gasped, "Ow!...Ugh!...Ow! Ow!"

She did not appear to be injured, and I do not know how she could have been with how closely both Sheena and the crimson wearing swordsman had guarded her form the Papal Knights, not to mention Raine's strong healing magic. The same confusion seemed to possess Lloyd, as well as panic, and he whirled to face his teacher, his voice strained as if he were vainly attempting to remain calm. "Colette! Professor! Colette's!..."

"She's running a fever." The half elven woman could not hide the concern in her voice either in spite of her more collected demeanor. "But what could be causing this much pain?"

"…Move…" A soft voice from behind Raine and Lloyd beckoned, and I was stunned to see Presea had at some point had approached our group. How had she known we were here? Could the fighting have alerted her to danger, brining her out of her home? There was no way to know for her face remained as expressionless as ever while her eyes, those eyes that haunted me even now, were dull and almost lifeless. "Please leave this…to…me."

Raine was also startled by her approach, turning slightly to see the small girl waiting for her assent. I could see the hesitation in the Professor, noticed her eyes move from the Chosen of Slyvarant back to the pink haired girl from Ozette. "Presea? A…all right."

Slowly Presea stepped forward towards Colette. I had no idea what she intended to do for the ill girl on her knees, as I had thought Raine and Zelos to be the only other healers than myself in the party. And how could the pink haired child know what sickness had overcome Colette when she had left the group before and she seemed oblivious to almost everything around her? Only a few steps from the ill Chosen, Presea whirled, her large battle ax moving with her and causing all of us to jump back. There was not enough time to react after that. She had performed the same move she had in the sewer, swinging her weapon to ward all of us off, and then before any of us could even move to stop her; she had taken the blunt end of her weapon delivering a blow to the back of Colette's head, knocking the blonde girl to the ground unconscious.

It was most likely because the rest of us were stunned that the same man that had been with Presea on her front porch the first time we had come to Ozette was able to approach Presea, his smile nearly wicked. I had the same uneasy feeling from him as I had the first time I had seen him, remembering his glee at how the small girl had returned to the small village. His voice was filled with the same, odd joy now. "Good work, Presea."

He then turned to the right, and I followed his gaze spotting off in the distance, flying towards Ozette were two large dragons. The beasts were moving quickly, while their master and Presea headed towards where they were going to land.

"Damn! Corrine!" Sheena exclaimed, causing the small creature she had summoned in the forest to appear once again in a small puff of smoke, doing another little flip before charging at the pink haired child. Corrine managed to knock Presea to the ground preventing her from boarding one of the dragons as her strange companion had. I was relieved that the ninja had managed to keep Presea on the ground, as it seemed the man who had been on Presea's porch the other day had to be using her to some end. There couldn't be enough of the real little girl inside of her puppet like exterior for her to have wanted to betray the same people who she had fought along side. She was not responsive enough for her to have made that decision on her own, and that lack of response could have led to her being manipulated.

The two dragons took to the air, one snatching Colette up in its claw as if she were nothing more than a rag doll, hovering over the ground just out of the canopy of the trees. The only rider shouted down haughtily, triumph lacing his tone, "I am Rodyle! The most cunning of the Desian Grand Cardinals! I hope you don't mind me taking the Chosen One. Hehehehehe!"

"Desian! Why are the Desians in Tethe'alla!" Lloyd demanded in confusion even as the beasts began to flap their wings harder, flying away. There was nothing the young swordsman could do to follow this Rodyle, or stop him from escaping with his friend. "Colette!"

Presea had not gotten up until after the dragons were out of sight, taking the Chosen of Slyvarant with them. I slowly approached her, checking her for injuries, needing to know that she was all right. Her expression was as blank as the last time I had laid eyes upon it, the child inside being controlled by the parasitic stone probably unaware of what had just happened. Or if the real Presea knew what was going on, there had been nothing she could do to change it. I stood as well, turning to the swordsman dressed in crimson. His deep brown eyes were still fixed east, the direction Rodyle had fled in, as if he could still see the man who had kidnapped Colette.

"Lloyd. Will you help Presea?" I had to get his attention. Now more than ever we needed to be able to talk to the real girl inside the doll that her Exsphere had turned her into, because she might be able to tell us where Rodyle was headed. Yet, deep down I knew that was not the only thing I wanted to be able to ask her with the hopes of getting an answer. My motives were both selfish and selfless. Not only did I want to help Presea, as well as Colette, I wanted to help myself. I wanted to find out why I saw the woman I loved when I gazed into those haunting, emotionless eyes.

He hesitated to even move his glare from the sky, heaving a heavy sigh when he finally turned back to where I stood next to the girl in question. "…Yeah."

Producing the inhibitor ore he'd worked on in the mine, he held it out, closing most of the gap between himself and the pink haired girl. "I've carved the charm. With this, she should return to her real self."

I was holding my breath although I didn't want or mean to. I had no reason to get my hopes up, to want her to be connected to Alicia, to expect Presea to come out from her shell and give me the answers I sought. The only thing that mattered was restoring her to her true self, freeing her from the infernal stone's grasp. The rational part of my mind wanted me to remember that, while the hopeful part of me wanted to believe that she could give me some sort of closure that I did not even deserve.

Once Lloyd had equipped the inhibitor ore that he'd fashioned into a form of Key Crest for her, Presea's blue eyes blinked several times. Then she gasped softly, as if she'd surfaced from being underwater with her lungs burning for air. "?..."

"Presea? Are you okay?" Genis inquired from behind her, worried.

She looked behind her, whirling on her heal as if she'd been startled, pausing only a moment before turning back to Lloyd. While her expression did not change, her tone held all of her confusion. "…what? What am I doing?"

It was barely there, a flicker in azure hues, something slight and gone an instant later probably because such things had not been expressed in a long period of time, but I spotted it instantly. Bewilderment, fear, and realization all tumbled together, an overwhelming wave that had to have her questioning everything. Did she know anything that had happened since the Exshpere had taken over? Could she remember any of us?

Glancing around, I saw another flicker in her emotionless eyes, something so tiny it would have been easy to miss as she gasped again. Presea was panicking, for whatever reason. Did she remember anything of the long time she'd been under the stone's influence, was that why she seemed to be searching for something, something she might not expect to be able to find? "Where's my daddy?"

The question was enough to destroy what remained of my tattered heart. I dreaded the truth; the chance that it could be what I prayed was not the case. There had been a body, a decaying corpse, in the bed in her home. She was looking now for her father.

_Sweet Goddess, no…_

Presea whirled again, dashing towards the large tree branch that would take her back onto the ground where her house had been built. I was quick to follow, as was Genis, and even Lloyd. I heard Zelos mutter something indignantly, and then three sets of fast footsteps behind us. I easily had longer strides so I managed to make it onto the porch before any of the others. They were not far behind as I dashed into the house, with the door being left thrown open, and towards the bedroom, ignoring the ever present scent of death. When I saw her, I instinctively slowed down, aware of the rest of the group doing the same behind me.

She stood at the head of the bed, motionless, quiet, even as I took a few steps to come up behind her. The ache my tattered heart suffered in that one moment was nearly enough to destroy me. When I had wanted to bring her out of herself, to free her from the parasitic effects of the Exsphere, I had not wanted to bring her out to _this_.

"I…" Her soft, usually monotone voice came out higher pitched, too many unused emotions flooding it all at once at the sight she now held before her. "What have I been doing? Ahhhhh!"

Her scream startled everyone behind me. I don't know why I was unaffected by it, but that surprise was what held them in place even as the pink haired child ran from the room, from the house, and from the remains of what had to have once been her father. I chased after her, I could do no less, as I hated that this was the reality the real Presea had surfaced to. She could not, and did not deserve this, not even if what that man had said about her before was true. If years had come and passed her by, only then to come crashing down upon her, then I couldn't let her be alone.

_Her pain…I've known that pain…losing your family…_

She'd only made it past the first few trees that grew behind her house, and for whatever reason she went no further. I expected to catch up with her and find her in tears, to find the girl that had been nothing more than a puppet when I first met her, broken down in sorrow. Yet even now, free, she did not relent to grief. She merely turned, practically startled by my approach, but her expression as even and collected as ever. It was only in her eyes, for the briefest of seconds, that I could see the agony, could see the sadness that had to be tearing away at her soul.

I had no idea if she even knew who I was, if she remembered any of us at all, and yet I came closer to her, kneeling down to be at her height. Perhaps I was not so much a stranger to her though, for she did not demand a reason as to why I had followed her, only measuring me with those eyes that seemed to now be able to pierce through me. She remained silent, her emotions only stirring in her gaze, never in her expression, and while I had come after the small girl it seemed that none of our companions had yet. The quiet ate away at me, slowly devouring my insides, chewing at my flesh with guilt and despair. What had this innocent girl done to deserve this? What cruel fate could bring her back out of her shell to _this_?

"Presea?" My voice brought her gaze, the gaze that I saw my beloved behind as well, back to mine. I'd meant to ask her more, to find a way to help comfort her, and yet I had managed no more than saying her name. Even if she did not know it now she needed someone there for her, someone who cared, to help her through this. It was devastating to lose one's family, and it was something that I sadly knew all too well.

"I…I want to go home." She whispered softly, the only hint of her agony buried deep in her blue hues, and it was only there for a split second before she would have appeared calm to the untrained eye. But the sound of her voice, no longer a monotone, no longer even, had come out choked, and if she had been anyone else at that moment, she probably would have had tears rolling down her cheeks. "This…this _isn't_ home!"

Careful not to alarm her, as she finally seemed distraught, as she finally began to break down, overwhelmed by the grief that gripped her tightly; I raised my shackled arms over her head and pulled her close. Presea held onto my shoulders, tears never falling from her eyes, but I knew that deep inside there had to be a little girl crying.

_Altamira's gates closed at night. It's not that they were guarded, or there was some sort of wall preventing anyone from escaping the resort town once the sun went down, no, there were just a few barricades that looked more like metal hurdles blocking the path. Why anyone bothered to even put them there, he didn't know. It really didn't matter. What was important was the fact that he had managed to slip past the barricades without being seen by anyone. He couldn't be recognized sneaking out of the city at night; it would be far too suspicious when he was so well known._

_Just outside of Altamira was where he'd agreed to meet the other. With a brand new play opening in the Theater at this exact time, and the Casino having hired live entertainment for the evening to compete for business, almost all of the tourists staying at the resort were far from where this meeting was going to take place. Even so, he was nervous, glancing over his shoulder every other step or so. No one could see him out here! If he was recognized now the whole plan could be ruined before it could even be set into motion!_

"_Nice job of not looking conspicuous." A gruff voice greeted him, startling him from walking forwards and looking backwards. How had Vharley managed to sneak up in front of him like that, considering he was a pretty heavy set man? There was a smirk on that greasy face among the brown stubble that hadn't been shaved off, and he laughed at how he'd been able to startle the nervous wreck that had come to meet him. "Acting like that, you're sure to get caught."_

"_You were the one who insisted we meet, Vharley." He practically stammered, wrinkling his nose at the sight of the other man. "Heaven forbid you keep your end of our bargain without trying to drag me down with you!"_

"_Don't have a heart attack, old man." Vharley sneered with a mocking tone. Looking far off into the distance he could almost make out the glow of the Elemental Railway train's headlights shimmering over the water as it came from the Lezareno building. That made him laugh, a dark, cruel sound. "I'm not going to get caught, and no one will ever even suspect you were involved because it's going to look like an accident. In a few nights Duke Bryant, his lovely little wife, and their brat will be out of your hair for good and you'll humbly take control of Lezareno in the chaos that ensues." _

"_Thus able to give you complete access to the Exsphere mines." The older man barked out impatiently, again glaring over his shoulder as if expecting to find a crowd listening in on them. Taking out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead he shifted uncomfortably as if he were hot under the collar even in the cool night air. "You had just better be sure to do it at the time I've specified or the three of them will not be together on the railway."_

"_No worries, George." The Exshpere broker remarked. "Everything will go according to plan."_

"…Thank you for assisting me with my daddy's burial." Presea turned back to where we had gathered behind her, having watched her inspect the freshly made grave a moment before. She had rested a large ax against the marker, her father's ax, and while we had laid her long gone parent to rest she had remained oddly quiet.

"Have you calmed down a little?" Raine asked her in concern. None of the others had disturbed the fact that I had gone off to comfort Presea when she had run out of the house, they had kept their distance and waited for the both of us to return in our own time. Even so their worry for the pink haired girl was obvious, and the half-elven woman was watching Presea with that careful, measuring gaze, searching out the grief that had been there before and caused the girl to run from the room.

Presea nodded, albeit solemnly. "I've…been a great burden on you all."

Her words served to put one of my questions at ease. To have thought herself a burden on any of us, Presea would have to remember something from when she was under the Exsphere's power. I wasn't the only one that realized this. Lloyd blinked in surprise. "You remember?"

The question made a small flicker of sadness creep across her gaze once again, the only sign that it probably hurt her to remember herself in that state. Had she fought against the power of the stone or had she drifted along in existence, barely conscious of what was going on around her and only now just grasping at pieces of it? "Yes…mostly…"

"Why did you have an Exsphere like that on you?" Genis inquired curiously.

"I received it from a person named Vharely." The small girl informed him.

Just hearing the name I bristled. So that damned Exsphere Broker, that slime, was connected to Presea as well? He had been the reason behind another innocent's suffering? Part of me was furious, bitter that I had not chased after Vharely when he ran from the Toize Valley Mine, but it was too late for those sorts of regrets. And it was not as if I had never guessed that Vharely could have something to do with Presea, as he had a hand in where almost all of the Exspheres in Tethe'alla went. I had just wanted to hope that I would be wrong. "I knew it…Vharely!"

"I wanted to help my sick daddy." Presea continued to explain, her eyes only glancing back at the new grave in her yard for a second. Her voice was once again soft, composed, nothing like the one she had used just beyond those trees a little bit ago. "I wanted to learn to wield an ax so that I could work in my daddy's place. So Vharely introduced me to Rodyle, and I was taken to the Research Academy in Sybak."

"The experiments on you were carried out by order of the Pope, right?" Zelos questioned suddenly, surprising me. It was not that I thought his inquiry out of line, for I knew that any sort of experimentation would have to be cleared by the Pope, but I had not expected for the red headed Chosen to be the one to make the connection first.

"Which means that Desian is in league with the Pope!" Lloyd exclaimed with a clenched fist.

As much as I was curious as to how Presea had come to have an Exsphere, I already had confirmation of my suspicions that Vharely was involved, and I was desperate to ask her the one question that had plagued me from the moment I had first laid eyes on her. I had to know if she had any connection to Alicia, if there was more than coincidence that made her appear so much like my lost love. As much as I had convinced myself I was ready to know, that I was ready for the truth, I did not think there was any way I possibly could be. If Presea was in some way tied to Alicia, that meant that I had done something irreparable to this small girl, and if she was not then her gaze haunted me with my own guilt instead of a reflection of my beloved. "Presea. Do you have an older sister?"

She shook her head, much to my dismay. "No."

My tattered heart gave a painful tug at my chest. So this girl was not who I had thought she could be. She was not tied to Alicia. She could not be. She did not have an older sister. I had tried to prepare myself for this possibility, I had done my best not to get my hopes up, and yet I was still disappointed. While I knew what it would have meant had Presea been Alicia's sister, part of me had still wanted them to be connected, for there to be a reason they looked eerily alike.

"Do you have any other family?" Perhaps Raine had thought I was concerned for the small girl's wellbeing now that her father had been laid to rest. I should have found it a relief that she did not find my question before strange.

"I have a younger sister. She left to go into service for a noble and that was the last I saw of her." Presea answered evenly, a faraway look in her gaze for only a moment. Her statement ran through my thoughts the instant after it had passed her lips, mixing with my hope. Presea had a sister, a younger sister, but she had a sister nonetheless. Could there still be a connection? "And my mommy died when I was a child."

The man that we had encountered during our first visit to Ozette had said that Presea had not aged in quite some time, so she was not the child she appeared to be. How many years she remained a prisoner to her Exsphere had not been revealed to me, but did it mean there was a chance that she could still be related to Alicia? They looked so much alike, the same color hair and the same shade of blue in their eyes. Presea had said her sister went into the service of a noble, which was how I had met Alicia. Both Presea as well as Alicia's mother had passed on while they were children, and they were both from Ozette. There had to be more that would explain this, more that would tell me if I was correct. Were Presea and Alicia family?

Or was I just getting my hopes up again when I had nothing to really hope for?

"When you were a child? Heh. You're still a child now." Zelos commented with a grin in Presea's direction. He either did not remember the encounter we had had with the man the last time we were in Ozette, or he merely meant in appearance she was still a child.

"Oh…yes, of course. That's right." Her response was somewhat disappointing. I had secretly hoped that being called a child would cause her to react differently, that she might be upset about being called something she was not, and perhaps reveal her true age.

"At any rate, we can't just leave you here in this village by yourself if you have no one to turn to." Sheena commented somewhat sympathetically, biting her lower lip. Her eyes trailed from the girl in question back up the large branch that led up to the rest of the village almost warily before then falling on the fresh grave that Presea stood in front of causing her concern to visibly grow.

"Yes, the people of this village seem to avoid her." Raine added with a small frown.

Presea's blue eyes dipped to the ground and she shifted for a moment on her feet almost nervously. The movements were so slight I couldn't help but wonder if I was the only one that noticed them, or if I was imagining her anxiousness. "I…uh…I'd like to go with all of you if that would be all right."

Lloyd blinked in surprise. "Huh? Why?"

Her usually stoic features were clouded by a bit of sadness as she glanced down at her feet. "…It's my fault that Colette was taken away. So please, let me help in her rescue."

So she did not intend to stay. And she wanted to right the wrongs she'd done indirectly while under the control of her Exsphere. I had had my chance to speak with her, and yet the answers I'd been given were not enough to know the truth of the matter, as well as satisfy my curiosity. There was still so much I wanted to know about this girl, and deep down I did not think I could surrender the companionship of the others yet either. They had been kinder to me than I deserved, they had not turned me away when they had discovered just what I was, and I felt compelled to repay them for it.

And Vharely was tied to this as well. The man I had vowed to bring to justice was working for the Pope, who seemed to be at odds with this group. If staying with them might help me achieve my goal of many years, then I needed to remain with them, and aid them in their quest. I took a step forward and turned to the rest of the group. I had no right to ask, and they had no reason to trust me. Yet I was compelled to try. What else could I do? "Please allow me to come along as well. It seems my fate is linked to your enemy."

"Of course you're welcome to join us! Help us save Colette." Lloyd insisted enthusiastically with a smile crossing his lips. How he could be so accepting, as to take in a man he knew to be a killer, I did not know, just as I did not understand the depths of his determination. He'd set out to save two worlds, an ambition that was admirable as well as idealistic. Perhaps I should not have been so surprised, as he seemed seek out the good in those around him, to find their strengths and add them to the party he'd already assembled.

"I will!" Presea agreed, her determination only flickering across her gaze for an instant.

"Thank you. I am in your debt. I shall not betray your trust." I told him earnestly hoping that he understood my gratitude. He, as well as the others, had no reason to trust me, and had no reason to accept me as part of their group, and yet Lloyd had not hesitated in his answer.

"Now, let's hurry and find Colette." Raine remarked to once again bring focus to the conversation. She hid it well, but I could see she was worried for Slyvarant's Chosen, which was perfectly understandable, for not only was the girl her student, but she had been ill when she had been taken by that Desian.

"All right, they headed east." Lloyd nodded, his eyes turning in the said direction as if he still expected the dragon carrying his friend to be within sight.

"…So you've lost the Chosen." A deep tenor commented from the end of the path that would lead to Altessa's house. Surprised at this new arrival, I glanced up to find a man dressed in a strange white tunic strewn with buckles approaching. Lloyd and the others turned a bit stunned to hear his voice, and I could see the young swordsman tense instantly as the man came closer.

"You again!" the brunette teen nearly growled out. "What have you done with Colette!"

Passively, the man regarded him, one hand rested on the scabbard on his hip as if it were waiting for the instant where his sword would need to be drawn. "Rodyle is ignoring our orders and acting on his own. I know nothing of it."

From the reactions of my companions, I could see this man was less than welcome among them. Lloyd was glaring at the oddly dressed intruder while Raine shook her head, remarking sarcastically, "Internal strife? How pathetic."

"Say what you will." His passive tone and stance seemed a bit challenged by her comment, but remained as he passed his eyes over all of us, almost surprised to find Presea and myself standing with them. Perhaps he had encountered my companions before, as he appeared to not have expected extra presences among them. "Either way, he will have no choice but to abandon the Chosen."

His cryptic response made Lloyd clench a fist in frustration. "What do you mean?"

"The Chosen is useless as she is now. You can let her be." I had to wonder if this man knew that Colette had been ill when she'd been taken, or if he had information on the situation that we did not. For whatever purpose that Rodyle character had kidnapped Colette for, it seemed this man assumed she would be of no use to anyone at the moment. That worried me. Was there something going on with that poor girl that even her friends did not know of?

"You've got to be kidding me! We're going to rescue Colette no matter what! And if you get in our way…" Lloyd rushed at the other man, drawing one of his swords as if to strike along with his threatening words.

But within the blink of an eye, the man dressed in white drew his own weapon, deflecting the strike, and replacing his sword in his scabbard. Turning his back to the younger swordsman, he crossed his arm over his chest almost with a sigh of frustration. "…Then I suggest you seek the Rheairds and head for the eastern skies. I'm sure the people of Mizuho have located the Rheairds by now."

With that, he left the way he came not once looking back. I could see the tension deflate from Lloyd's frame as he slowly put his own sword away. The anger he had turned towards that man made me wonder just what sort of connection the two shared, and if perhaps this was the traitor that Colette had spoken of. She had not told me much, but the animosity between the group and the man that had just departed had nearly been visible in the air.

"…What's that guy trying to do?" Lloyd wondered quietly.

Zelos sighed a little before his tone became as light as it usually was. "Ah, well, who cares? If he's useful, make use of him."

"I agree. Anyway, let's head back to Mizuho for now." Sheena added with a small nod. It was then that everyone seemed to turn to Presea together, the pink haired girl once again the center of their focus.

"Okay, then, just to make it official, welcome to the group, Presea!" Genis exclaimed enthusiastically with a wide grin on his young face. He seemed more than ecstatic to extend the hand of friendship to the girl, to make her feel welcome when she obviously felt guilty and like a burden to them all.

"Thank you." Presea mumbled softly, nearly flustered by the attention.

"My cute little Presea, I'll protect you, okay?" Zelos assured her in a smooth tone with a not entirely innocent grin. I had heard of the red headed Chosen's flirtatious ways, but perhaps I expected him to have some sort of limits such as to not turn his 'charms' on a child. Although I could not completely be sure if Presea was a child or not.

"Oh! Oh! I'll…I'll…" Genis stammered unable to finish.

"Come on, let's go!" the crimson wearing swordsman remarked from the back of the group, beckoning us up the branch that would take us back into the village.

And although I followed behind the rest of them, I knew that Genis did not. He remained behind, finally able to finish his sentence, albeit very quietly. "I'll protect you too…GRRR! Stupid, stupid Lloyd!"

Raine had thought it best that with how late in the day it was when we were set to venture out to Mizuho that we remain in Ozette for the night. Gaoracchia Forest was not a friendly place by any means, and even less so after dark, so she was wise in assuming it would be better to rest for the night and then continue on in the morning. She rented us rooms at the inn, even one for Presea to share with Sheena, as it seemed the pink haired girl did not want to spend the night in her own home again quite yet.

Zelos had argued with Genis on who would cook that evening, the red headed Chosen insisting that the young half elf take over for him or we would all end up with food poisoning. The Professor had pulled out a novel to read while this was going on, and the ninja seemed content to talk quietly with Presea. Lloyd was the only one that seemed detached from the group at the moment, and in my curiosity I was compelled to approach him.

"Lloyd, may I speak with you for a moment?" I sat down next to him on the bench outside the inn.

He seemed startled by my presence, although I wasn't quite sure if it was because he'd been previously distracted with his own thoughts, or if he had not expected me to go out of my way to talk to him. After a moment he offered me a small smile. "Sure. What's up, Regal?"

"I do not mean to pry, but, who was that man back there? The one who approached us at the grave…" I asked him gently as to not offend him. Perhaps I had no right to ask, even if it seemed the rest of my companions knew him, yet I knew that if I planned to remain in their company that I should have some knowledge of both their allies and their enemies to effectively be able to aid them.

"Oh…" Brown eyes were instantly downcast. "That was Kratos."

I could see that this was a sensitive topic, that I had to be pushing my boundaries with him, but I held the vague hope that perhaps if the teen had the chance to talk about this, even if it was with me, that it might help him somehow. "May I ask…how you know him?"

"That's sort of a long story." The swordsman murmured as he ran his fingers through his spiked brown hair.

"I have time, Lloyd." I assured him as I watched him sit up straight again and finally meet my gaze. From what I could tell his encounter with this Kratos character had him agitated, unnerved, and anxious, ready to spring from his seat, although any of that could have been attributed to the fact that one of his friends had just been kidnapped as well.

"When Colette started her journey of Regeneration, Kratos was with us, acting as a mercenary to protect her…acting as if he was our friend." Lloyd began with a small sigh. Then he clenched a fist. "But really he was sent by Cruxis to make sure Colette finished her journey, he deceived us, and he tried to kill all of us. I don't know what he's trying to do now, or if he's telling the truth about Rodyle, or if he was lying about knowing what that Desian wants with Colette! He's a traitor."

So Kratos was the one that betrayed them. He had deceived them all for Cruxis, from the very beginning. But then what could be his goal now? Lloyd was right, if he was a traitor and working for our enemy, then why had he appeared to us in Ozette and told us of his innocence in Colette's kidnapping? What had he to gain if we attained the Rheairds? "While his motives are not clear to us, Lloyd, it would seem that he knows more at the moment than we do, and he did not come to us today to deter us from our goal."

"No, he told us to go back to Mizuho because they must have found the Rheairds." The boy nodded in understanding before confusion then contorted his features. "But why? He's our enemy, right? Why would he want us to be able to find the Rheairds?"

"At the moment, Lloyd, I can't even begin to understand why he would do such a thing. Perhaps it is just best to follow Zelos' advice, and make use of Kratos for the time being. He instructed us to return to Mizuho, and in our current situation, that is the best option." I mused as I leaned back against the wall of the inn. "Maybe whether or not Kratos is still your enemy, Lloyd, does not matter if his advice aids us in rescuing Colette…"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Lloyd sighed as he climbed to his feet and started to head for the door of the inn. Just as his hand reached out for the handle to let himself in, he turned so that he could lock gazes with me once again. "Hey, Regal?"

"Yes, Lloyd?" I raised one eyebrow in question at him.

"Thanks." A grin tugged at his lips.

"You're welcome." I gave him a slight nod in return. That seemed to satisfy him, as well as soothe some of the anxiousness that had been gripping his limbs, and he went back inside seeming that much lighter in his steps. I waited another moment or two before I followed.

Once we'd had our evening meal and cleaned up afterwards, most of my new companions headed for their rooms, exhausted from the day's activities. Sheena tried to coax Presea to come to bed as well, but it seemed the taciturn girl was not ready to turn in just yet, and soon enough we were the only two left in the inn's lobby. She sat in the chair she had occupied during dinner, and while her expression was mostly stoic, her azure eyes reflected a deep remorse.

I stood from the chair I'd been seated in for most of the evening and moved to the one next to her, watching her face carefully to see if she reacted badly to my continued presence near her. I had not gotten another chance to be alone with the girl since she had fled her home earlier, and I did not wish to cause her any pain. "What's wrong?"

"I wonder if Colette is all right." She commented softly, her gaze still fixated on her feet as she kicked them under the table as they did not reach the floor. The way she gripped the sides of her seat I could tell she was really struggling with this, the guilt that had set in once she had been restored to her true self.

"The only thing we can do is pray that she is safe." I knew my words were not entirely comforting, but it would do no good to lie to her and say that I was sure that the Chosen was all right. I had no idea of Rodyle's intentions for the poor child, and so I could not say for sure just what had become of the blonde girl. While I wish I could do more for Presea, all I could offer was that one suggestion, something she could do to ease her worry.

"I…swear I will rescue Colette." Presea murmured with determination growing behind her tone. "It was my fault that Rodyle took her away."

I was a bit startled by her statement. Surely she knew that the Desian had manipulated her in a vulnerable state, that what she had done under the power of her Exsphere was not entirely her fault. Yet I could understand how she could feel guilty about something like this, something that at the time had been beyond her control. I bit my lip slightly. "…Yes. We cannot change the past. We must do what we can do. Earnestly, and sincerely."

_I could not save her…but I can keep you safe, Presea…_

While I knew that there was most likely no connection at all between Alicia and Presea, there was still that glimmer of hope that perhaps there was, and the undeniable urge to keep this child that sat next to me safe. She wore the face of my lover, which could have been just a startling coincidence, and she was also a victim of the same stone that took my lover from me. That in itself was all the more reason to keep her safe, to stay with her.

"Yes…" Presea whispered with a small nod.

_I will do what I can for you, Presea…earnestly and sincerely…_

_She had been working at the Bryant estate for four years, and yet she had never been to the Lezareno Company headquarters before the day Sanji handed her a large packaged lunch and sent her there. It was not that she didn't have time to explore Altamira; Alicia had made many trips to the beach and the amusement park on her days off, but had made it a point to steer clear of the large office building. That was the only place she knew if she visited she was sure to run into _him_. Regal Bryant, the handsome young Duke that not only did she serve, she had developed quite the crush on over the time she spent in his home. _

_How could she not with the way he had smiled at her the day that they met? How could she resist the way he spoke so softly to her? Or always asked how she was doing since he knew she was so far away from home? He seemed to go out of his way to make sure everyone that lived in the Bryant mansion was content with not only their job, but with their lives in general. It was as if the Duke wanted to make sure the people in his employment were happy, and Alicia had never heard of a noble doing that. Although, she'd never heard of a noble coming over to help a fallen servant gather up cleaning supplies said servant had dropped either. Her master was different. He was gentle, caring, and had a strange look in his eyes when he thought no one else was watching._

_There were times when he seemed lonely._

_And as much as she wanted to spend time with the Duke, to get to know him, to watch him move with the grace of an angel, she did not want to be alone when she did so. She felt so clumsy around him, so small, so insignificant. He had to notice how she stammered when she replied to anything he asked of her, how a light pink would tint her cheeks instantly the moment his eyes landed on her, and how she practically gaped at him if he ever graced her with another of his brilliant smiles like on that first day. She knew she had it bad, that it was wrong for her to feel this way about a man who was six years older than her, as well as of noble blood, but when she was anywhere near him her heart fluttered against her rib cage with anticipation. Anticipation of what, she wasn't quite sure._

_But now she was going to his office. She had no choice. Sanji had assigned her the new task of delivering Master Regal's lunch, for now, or until the duty was passed to someone else. And Sanji had no idea when someone else would take over, as none of the other staff that manned the kitchen in the afternoon were available and it didn't appear that they would be for some time. So she was going to have to go up there, possibly while he was in the room, to give him his meal._

_She'd never been so terrified in her life._

_The receptionist that greeted her when she stepped off the Elemental Railway and headed for the elevator was really sweet, telling her that the President's office was on the third floor with a sincere smile. If Alicia's knees hadn't been shaking she might have returned the warm expression. As it was she was having trouble holding herself upright, clutching the packaged lunch in a vice-like grip so that in her anxiousness she would not fumble and drop it. That was the last thing she needed to have happen, have Master Regal see her drop something again._

_Her ride in the lift seemed all too short, for soon the gates creaked open, leaving her exposed to the expansive office while she felt the heat rise to her cheeks. The girl's breath had been caught in her throat, until she finally realized she'd come into an empty office. The young President of Lezareno was not at his desk, or standing at one of the large book shelves, or pacing the floor. She should have been relieved that he was not present, then she couldn't make a fool of herself in front him, and yet there was a twinge of disappointment that lay underneath that relief. _

_Even if she had fallen on her face in front of the nobleman, she still would have gotten, for however brief a second, to see him. But he was not in his office and there was nothing she could do about it. Besides, there was always tomorrow, and the day after that, and as many days as it took for Sanji to find someone else to make these lunch deliveries. One day, even if it was the first, wouldn't make the difference. At least it shouldn't have._

_Alicia took a deep breath, stepping out of the elevator to cross over to the large oak desk on much steadier legs than when she had first entered the lift. If her master wasn't there, she'd just have to drop off his meal with a note so that when he returned he would find it waiting for him. Maybe that was better. He would never have to know she'd even been in his office space if she left a note. It just seemed impersonal, but she had other jobs to do soon, and she had yet to take a break for her afternoon meal as well._

_Finding a nice stationary and pen on the huge desk, she set to scribbling down a message to her employer, she failed to miss the sounds of the elevator leaving, and then returning before she could even place her note on top of the lunch she'd set down. It wasn't until the gates were opening again that she realized someone was coming._

"_Oh, hello, Alicia." There he stood, that warm smile crossing his lips and lighting up his azure eyes, with a file in one hand while the other had been struggling to loosen his navy blue tie. She couldn't believe how the deep blue suit offset his slicked back blue locks, or the depth of his gaze that had her frozen in place. How could a simple suit make this man look even more handsome? He was walking towards her, and she could feel the flush that had already spread on her cheeks grow hotter, probably turning cheery. "How are you?"_

"_Hello, Master Regal." Why did that simple response sound more like a squeak to her ears? Why was she panicking? It wasn't as if he was interrogating her, he was just being polite because he'd caught her at his desk! "I'm…doing well thank you. I…I brought you your lunch."_

_His head tilted to the side curiously as he passed by her, he then moved to sit in the plush leather chair on the opposite side of the desk, eyeing the bundle and glancing at the note that had been placed on it only seconds before. For a moment, Alicia considered muttering a quick goodbye and then making a break for the elevator, but a small groan coming from the Duke as he shook his head almost fondly caused her to stop. There was a bit of amusement to his tone as he glanced back up to meet her gaze, not knowing how that made her feel both trapped and as if there was no one else in the world now, he asked, "Alicia, did Sanji prepare this?"_

"_Y-yes." Did he not like Sanji's cooking? If not she'd have to go all the way back to the mansion just to bring him another lunch made by a different chef. That meant she'd have to come back to see him again, to be caught in his azure hues that drew her in, that called to her. And the girl honestly did not think she was strong enough for that twice in one day._

"_Hm." She would have given anything to know what he was thinking as he leaned back in his chair, again pulling at his tie as if he was slowly being strangled by the thing. The small span of silence did nothing but grate on her nerves, and there was still that desperate voice in the back of her head that said if she dashed over to the elevator he wouldn't be able to protest in time and she wouldn't have to be in the same room with him again until the same time tomorrow. Oh why had Sanji done this to her? Regal's next question shoved aside her anxiety, stunning her completely. "Have you eaten yet?"_

_She had no idea why he would ask her that, so she answered automatically. Automatically meaning she couldn't come up with anything but the utter truth. "No, Master Regal."_

"_Good. Sanji, for some reason, is under the impression that I eat twice as much as I actually do. I should have enough here for two if I know him at all, and I would hate to have half of it go to waste." Again that smile was directed at her, and if Alicia had thought that her heart knew how to flutter before she did not know what fluttering was because her heart had spread real wings this time that were beating rapidly in her chest. "Would you care to join me?"_

_It was a miracle she didn't faint at that instant. Regal Bryant, the man she had watched from afar since entering his household as nothing but a servant, was asking her to sit down and eat lunch with him? The rush of excitement that realization gave her would have her walking on air for weeks. Here she was, with her handsome master, alone on the third floor of his gigantic office building, and he had offered to share his lunch with her! _Her_, a little servant girl from Ozette! Even as her soul was singing in triumph, she realized that she couldn't stay. If she stayed he was sure to see right through her. "Uh…no…I shouldn't…"_

"_I won't force you, Alicia, and I am not trying to make you uncomfortable or get any of your superiors upset with you. I would be happy to explain your prolonged absence to anyone who questions where you've been. I'm only offering." The Duke insisted gently, seeing her hesitation, perhaps even her fear, and rushing to put her more at ease with the situation. He would never threaten her job, for he knew her father had grown ill when she came to work at the estate and most of her earnings were sent to support him and her sister back in Ozette. He could see the blush in her cheeks and the slight tremble in her shoulders. She wasn't afraid of him, was she? Or was she…shy? "Honestly I hate to eat alone, and well, I would appreciate the company."_

"_Master Regal…" The rest of her second protest died in her throat. How could she even consider turning down this invitation from her crush? So what if she made a fool of herself? She would still get to eat lunch, alone, with the man she secretly admired! Pushing aside the nervousness pooling in the pit of her stomach, she managed a small smile for him along with a nod. "Well, if you insist."_

"_And I do." He retorted with a bit of a laugh, getting up to grab a chair that had been across the room at a small table for her, gesturing for her to sit, and when she did, pushed it in for her like the gentleman he was so that they would both be seated at his desk. _

_After returning to his own seat, Regal began to unpack the lunch Sanji had made, and found something that made them both laugh._

_Sanji, for whatever reason, had packed the lunch with two sets of silverware._

_The trend of Alicia's lunch visits continued because every day Sanji would be the one to prepare the Duke's lunch, and every day she could not refuse Regal when he asked her to join him even if she'd wanted to. None of Alicia's superiors ever questioned where she was for an hour or two after she left to deliver the young master's lunch, and she suspected that it might have been because the Duke had already spoken to them. Within the first week she had become much more comfortable in the nobleman's presence, finding that he wasn't always so quiet if he was in the right company._

_She also began to suspect Sanji had ulterior motives when sending her with their employer's lunch, but she wasn't about to argue with progress._

_For what it was worth she had a chance every day to talk to Regal Bryant, the man she had been watching and thinking of for four years. She was able to be near him when she wasn't supposed to be doing chores or getting a lecture from that old man George that seemed to hound the Duke wherever he went. It wasn't as if they were dating, as if he'd confessed to secretly being in love with her, she figured that would always be a dream, but now he didn't seem so far away. He didn't seem as untouchable as before._

_And now, when she was able to look at him when he thought no one was watching, he didn't seem so lonely either._

To be continued

**End notes: **Well, chapter three is now finished. I have to say, I liked how this one turned out. I had to play with the scene where Presea finds out about her father, and I used her most famous line from the game to do it. She's always saying "I want to go home" when you first get her in the party, and for some reason, I had to use that somehow. I also kinda came up with the whole 'how Regal and Alicia got together' thing, which I've stretched out into the coming chapters. I know there's some radio play out there that actually has a story of how they fell in love, but I have no access to such a thing, and I kinda like what I came up with. Plus I got to add Sanji, which I couldn't resist. (If anyone is wondering, Sanji is based off a character from One Piece, and awesome anime/manga, where Sanji is the chef of a pirate crew.) I will stop babbling now. I hope you all enjoyed. I will get cracking on chapter four post haste!


	4. Four

**Title:** On my Honor

**Author:** Yamato795

**Pairing:** Lots of mentions of RegalxAlicia, but no other ones planned at the moment…

**Rating:** Let's go PG-13 to be safe, since they do swear in the game, and the violence.

**Status:** Chapter 4 out of ? parts. Lots planned, but a number is not clear just yet.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Tales of Symphonia. Please don't sue me.

**Spoilers:** A TON, mostly for Regal. I'd say this story is better suited for those who have beaten the game if you ask me. Read at your own risk of spoiling anything. Since it starts where Regal comes in, it should spoil quite a bit of the game after that, don't you think?

**Summary:** Take a look through Regal's eyes as well as a look into his past.

**Author notes: **The biggest thing about this chapter is the fact that I answered two questions. As not to ruin either of what those questions are, I'm just going to tell you one thing. The martial art that Regal mentions learning in this chapter was made up by me to explain the fighting style he originally used. Regal said he originally fought with his hands, so I made up the martial art as I could not find one already in existence that fit. If anyone wants more details, let me know, I'm happy to answer questions. I would also like to thank everyone that has reviewed this story. All of your kind words really do help drive me, and they mean a great deal to me. Thank you.

On my Honor

Chapter four

To obtain the Rheairds, Sheena was to make a pact with the Summon Spirit of lightning. His mana was required to power the vehicles, but that was not the entire reason why the young ninja was to make the pact. The Vice Chief of Mizuho wished to test her, and if she passed, we were to be given the location of the Rheairds.

Such a task had to have been trying on Sheena in so many ways. First, she had failed to make a pact with Volt before, something that still haunted her because of the deaths that occurred from the incident so many years ago. Second, the Temple of Lightning itself seemed to try to slow our progress, as the entire structure seemed to be electrically charged and lightning could have taken any of us down while we were battling the monsters or trying to gain access to the seal. Lastly, Volt had practically refused to make a pact, he did not desire one. And as we needed his assistance, Sheena demanded that he make a pact, angering the spirit enough to have him lash out at all of us. The summoner was not able to bring herself to subdue him by force until her small companion, the fox like spirit Corrine, jumped in front of her to save her from one of the Volt's attacks. The small creature did not survive. That was what hit Sheena the hardest.

While we had obtained the information we needed to get the vehicles that we needed, Sheena had lost a dear friend. It was a hollow victory mostly, even as we began to set up camp for the night, as we planned to meet Orochi at the Tethe'alla base near Flanoir the following day. The others, even Zelos, were uncharacteristically quiet as chores were assigned by Raine for the evening.

It seemed the half-elven professor was more than capable of pushing aside her own feelings for the moment to think about what was best for the group, but when her younger brother heard that she had volunteered herself to cook, his objection was on the border of pleading. He nearly begged her to ask someone else to cook, _anyone_ else, as he insisted that if she were the one to prepare our meal we had the good chance of not making it through the night.

"I could cook instead, Raine." I murmured softly to break into their conversation, earning both of the Sage siblings' attention. I had just finished building the fire as Raine had instructed me to do, the flames already roaring and perfect for the task of preparing a hot meal.

"It's kind of you to offer, Regal, but…" Her eyes trailed down to the shackles on my wrists as discreetly as she could manage, but not enough that I did not catch it.

"No, that's a wonderful idea! Now you can help me with my homework!" Genis exclaimed taking his sister by the wrist and beginning to pull her away from the bags that contained our food supply. He did glance over his shoulder at me to give me a grateful expression before he went back to distracting Raine with questions about whatever assignment she had currently given her young students.

I had not cooked in years, and I had never cooked while wearing shackles, but fortunately I managed. Most of the ingredients for the meat stew I planned to prepare were already cut up, as chopping anything would have been quite difficult while I was handcuffed, and so it did not take long before I had the stew simmering over the fire. After the difficult day we had had, I was not at all surprised when the smell drew my companions over to the fire away from what they each had been doing.

Raine was kind enough to help me serve up a bowl to everyone, and I noted the look of surprise on Lloyd's face after I handed him his share and took a seat next to him to eat my own.

"Can you cook, Regal?" He was staring into the contents of the bowl as if he expected the worst from the first bite. From what I could tell it was Genis that did most of the cooking in this group, and from his reaction to Raine suggesting she prepare the evening meal, there was a good reason why he did most of the cooking.

But I could not help but be a bit insulted by his surprise. He had not even tasted it. "Humph. Don't underestimate me. How about you decide whether I can or can't after you taste it?"

With a small shrug, he took his spoon and brought some of the stew to his lips, blowing on it first to cool it off. Thoughtfully he then savored the bite, his eyes going wide after a moment as he turned slightly to look up at me. "Hey, this is pretty good!"

I wasn't too surprised by his reaction. While I had not exercised my culinary skills for quite some time, I still knew what I was doing even with the shackles on. And after all the time I had spent locked away in prison, it was all too liberating to do something so simple and relaxing as preparing a meal. Gripping my chin I couldn't help the smile that curled my lips. "Of course."

That made Lloyd grin as well, chuckling. "But knowing you, you probably made it with your feet, heh."

"Of course." I replied easily keeping my expression just as it had been seconds before and my tone a bit more serious.

"…" the swordsman nearly blanched at that, his eyes going wide again as he moved away from me a bit.

I wanted to shake my head at him. "…That was a joke."

"It doesn't sound like a joke when you say it!" Lloyd sighed almost looking deflated. Perhaps he didn't like how I had easily fooled him, or perhaps the idea of someone cooking with their feet had caused him to lose a bit of his appetite, but either way, I really had just been joking with him. While I knew that today had been hard on everyone, especially Sheena, it did not feel right to allow them all to wallow in their sorrows. I was probably not the best one to cheer any of them up, I didn't know them that well, but I felt I owed it to them, to Lloyd, for allowing me to continue on with them.

I knew what it was like to let sadness consume you.

With a small sigh that mirrored that of the swordsman's next to me, I went back to my own meal deciding it had cooled down enough to enjoy. The silence between us was comfortable enough, as it didn't seem Lloyd objected to my presence at all. I didn't know how he managed to make me feel welcome near him, but I could see that it was probably a trait that the others had experienced as well, considering the size of the group and how they all seemed close to him.

"You know…it's great to have someone else that can cook with us, Regal." Lloyd commented quietly after swallowing the last bite of his stew and searching out my gaze.

"I'm glad I could help, Lloyd." The way he was looking at me, I didn't understand it at first, not until he stood, and started back for where the rest of the group was putting the dirty dishes together to be washed.

When he glanced back at me, with that same look still in his eyes, I saw him grin just a little as he remarked with a soft laugh, "No, I mean, it's really good to have you with us. I mean, it's just like a bonus that you can cook. You've really helped us out, especially with Presea."

"How could I do anything less?" I replied a bit stunned by his words. How could he be so friendly with me? He barely knew me, I had originally met him as an enemy, and he knew me to be a murderer. Yet he smiled at me, he seemed comfortable with me.

"I know. That's what makes you a good friend." Lloyd grinned back at me before turning back and striding over to the white haired boy leaving me where I sat just a little more than amazed at how accepting this young man could truly be. He considered me a friend? After everything I had done against him, even after seeing me for the criminal I am, he still thought of me as a companion?

I couldn't help the smile that crossed my features.

_When she usually took her son into the kitchen with her, intent on teaching him to cook, it was because she wanted to spend time with him while his father had to work away the hours at the office. Tamara Bryant also wanted her child to grow to be independent, to know how to do things for himself instead of relying on servants, and within everything else she would have to teach him in the years to come at the very least he could find real joy in cooking. Normally when her husband was called away on business, she would take their six-year-old son into the estate's enormous kitchen, and no one questioned it. Except now she could hear George, a man who had been in the service of the Bryant family for a while now, arguing with the Duke he was to serve._

_The Duchess did not want Regal to pay any attention to the loud argument, so even though lunch had just recently been served, she took his hand and led him away from the study. She knew he was curious as to what was going on, glancing back at the origin of the angry voices, but in between those glances he would smile up at her with anticipation glittering in his large blue eyes._

_"What are we going to make today, Mother?" Regal asked her excitedly when she lifted him up onto the counter so that he could observe what she was doing. He was kicking his legs while watching his mother move about the cupboards and drawers to gather what was needed for whatever dish she intended to prepare. The boy was delighted to have any time with his parents as they were both very busy people and he had no siblings. When his mother actually had time to give him these impromptu culinary lessons he was always eager to begin even if she was the one that did most of the tasks and he would mostly just be watching._

_Tamara had rolled up the sleeves of her fine dress before taking an apron off of a nearby hook and putting it on. She flashed the boy a smile as she tied back her long blonde curls with a ribbon. "How about we bake a cake?"_

_Her son nodded enthusiastically. Desserts were not usually something the Duchess included in her lessons, but as she could still hear her husband shouting with George on the second floor and their afternoon meal had already come and passed, she thought indulging her child's sweet tooth would be all right just this once. Besides, Regal would only be this young once, and very soon he would be burdened with all the studies of nobility as well as the inner workings of the Lezareno Company. As much as she didn't want it to happen, he would have to grow up, and faster than she wanted to accept. Her son was the heir to the Bryant legacy, he would carry on the work of both of his parents, but at the moment he was still just a little boy and she would not be forced to let go of that just yet._

_She'd set down the mixing bowl at his side, handing him two eggs so that she could measure the flour, sugar, cocoa, vanilla, vinegar, baking soda, salt, water, and cooking oil. She put all of the dry ingredients into the bowl first, then instructing him to add the eggs as she had shown him how to do many times before._

_"Here, now add these." Tamara gestured to the liquid ingredients, letting her son be the one to put them in the bowl. He was still too young for her to allow him to participate in some of the more challenging tasks in the kitchen, but he either didn't realize that or had enough fun assisting her that he did not notice. She saw how at ease he was adding the water and cooking oil at the same time, his gaze fixed on the small puddles both liquids made in the powdery concoction. Even if the boy only aided her in preparing the recipe, he seemed overjoyed to do so. Handing him a large spoon, she gave him another warm smile. "All right, now mix it together, Regal."_

_"Yes, Mother." He took the offered utensil, setting to work to beat everything together. It was with practiced ease that he had it looking more and more like a dark smooth mixture within minutes._

_Watching her son stir the batter, Tamara couldn't help but pause. It amazed her how much Regal looked like his father. The boy had gotten his light blue hair, a peculiar color, from the Duke, as well as vibrant eyes of the same shade. She could see now even though he was still young that her son would grow to have his father's strong build and distinguished chin. But Regal was not an exact replica of Duke Victor Bryant. While he had the same hair and eye color as Victor, the boy had inherited his fair skin from his mother, as well as the body that tried to curl his blue locks. Victor had thin, fine hair that was kept short and neat easily. Regal's was also short, except his locks had a volume that made it appear untamed while his blue bangs stretched to nearly hide his gaze. And while it was rare to see Victor in anything but a suit, her son was still free to wear more casual clothes, like the dark green jacket, white undershirt, and black pants he'd chosen for himself that day. It made her smile to remember how much the child had protested the first time he'd been made to wear a neck tie._

_Someday things would not be so simple for him; it would not just be that Regal looked like his father, he would have to follow in Victor's footsteps. He would have to take on the life his father lived every day where protocol and etiquette would practically dictate the man he became. It nearly saddened her that her only child would fall into the grasp of privilege and responsibility, forcing him to take on burdens that were his from the instant he was born. But there, in that moment, Regal was nothing more than a normal child, who was laughing and smiling up at his mother, blissfully unaware of what awaited him as he grew older. The Duchess wished she could always see her son this happy, that there might be some way to know that in spite of everything expected of the Bryant heir that Regal would be content with his life._

_She jumped when suddenly the shouting was much closer, startling her from her thoughts. Glancing over her shoulder at the swinging doors that led into and out of the kitchen she guessed that Victor had grown fed up with George and had left the study to end the argument, but George had to have followed for her husband started to shout again. Tamara could not recall another time that the Duke raised his voice to anyone, as the nobleman was usually calm and in control. His voice sounded strange to her, so full of frustration and anger, and she turned back to their child to see if he too was listening to what was being said probably just down the corridor outside the swinging doors._

_"George, I have always respected your opinion, but you are over-stepping your position here." Victor's voice trailed in through the doors and walls. The intensity of it was what made Regal stop what he was doing, his smile vanishing and his small hands now gripping the edge of the counter tight enough to turn his knuckles white. _

_"Duke Bryant, forgive me," George was at the same volume, his tone sharp, and Tamara saw how it made her son cringe. "But what Mistress Bryant is doing is not proper for a lady of her status! She should find more appropriate lessons for young Master Regal, ones more fitting for the heir to your legacy!"_

_"That is _enough_." The words were practically growled out, and it made the Duchess move to stand in front of her child, running her fingers through his long bangs to try to soothe him. This argument had been going on for far too long. She wished he did not have to hear this. "Regal is our son, not yours. Tamara and I will raise him as we see fit. And if I can entrust my wife to teach our child how to be a Duke of the Royal Court, then I can trust her to teach him anything else that she deems to be worthy knowledge. If you have any objections to it then you will keep them from my family, is that clear?"_

_George had to of mumbled his response because she did not hear it._

_In the silence that followed, Tamara brushed back a few locks of almost wild blue hair to move it from in front of her little boy's eyes. Regal looked so sullen now, staring at his feet, still holding onto the counter. Inside, the Duchess was furious with George for trying to take away something she could do with her son that made them both so happy, but on the outside she mustered up a warm smile for him. Victor had defended her decision to teach their son to cook, and although the method of his defense was not what she would have wanted for their child to experience, it meant that she was free to continue his lessons. _

_"Regal, sweetheart, do you remember why I wanted to teach you to cook?" she asked him softly to try to bring his glare away from his feet and to bring that grin back to his lips._

_Azure eyes strayed to the doors, where no more yelling erupted, before then trailing up to meet the chocolate pools of his mother's gaze. "You said that because everyone eats, everyone should know how to cook for themselves."_

_The Duchess nodded. "And do you like when I show you how to cook?"_

_"Yes." The smile that crossed his expression was fond, but it was gone in an instant, and once again his stare went back to the other side of the kitchen, to the door. His usually vibrant eyes faded a bit, just as they had when the yelling had started, and it nearly broke his mother's heart to see him this way. What right did George have to protest to the time she spent with her son? "But…why doesn't George like it, Mother?" _

_"Listen to me, sweetheart." She held cupped both of his cheeks with the palms of her hands, leaning down so that he would have to meet her gaze. "It does not matter what George likes. What George likes is his own business. What matters is what _you _like, what makes you happy, Regal. What he says or thinks will never be as important as your happiness, do you understand?"_

_"Is that why Father was so angry?" The question merely tugged at her heart even more, that her son had had to witness his father's outrage over something like this. Didn't their servant understand that with trips to Meltokio, business at the Lezareno Company, and having to entertain nobles from all over Tethe'alla that any moment that either she or Victor could have with their son was precious? What right did he have to protest how they raised their son, especially when he was a servant? "Because George didn't understand that I like it when we get to cook?"_

_"It doesn't matter if George understands or not, son." The voice made Tamara turn, not because she was startled, but more of relieved to hear it in a lighter, gentler tone than before. How long he had been standing inside of the swinging doors, the Duchess could not be sure, but it was better to see him now when he was calm and wearing a small smile than when he was shouting back at one of their servants. Victor crossed over the tiled floor to his wife, planting a kiss on her cheek before putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "No one else will ever dictate what you can and cannot do, Regal."_

_The way their son's face brightened at the sight of his father was something that Tamara would always treasure. Victor never seemed to have as much time with their little boy as she did and that seemed to make Regal treasure any moment with the Duke all the more. _

_"Oh, was your mother having you bake, son?" Victor acted as if he had just noticed the large mixing bowl full of batter still sitting on the counter next to the child. When Regal nodded enthusiastically, grinning broadly, the Duke chuckled, wrapping an arm around his wife's slender waist. "I don't suppose you could use one more hand in the kitchen then, dear?"_

_It was his way of trying to make it up to Regal, even if their son couldn't see it. Victor probably felt terribly guilty about the shouting match he'd had with George and the fact that their son had been upset by it. And now he was willing to drop everything to be with both of them. Tamara gave her husband a kiss on the cheek, unable to hold back her own giggle at the notion of Duke Bryant working in the kitchen. She knew that their son was watching them intently, waiting to see what she would say, so she drew back from the nobleman, pointing at one of the cupboards. "Well, I am in need of more sugar for the frosting once we get the cake in the oven…" _

Infiltrating the Tethe'alla base, home of an organization known as the Renegades, was how we were to obtain the Rheairds. Mizuho had already planted their own informant into the ranks of this group, and it was through this we were able to gain discreet entrance. Orochi told us how to then reach the hangar, where we would find the vehicles we sought. While entering the base had been simple enough, making it to the hangar was anything but.

Numerous Renegades tried to stop us, only three of them in possession of the pieces of the access code to the hangar. Our combined strength gave us the power to overcome the guards though, and after obtaining the three parts of the password we made a break for where the Rheairds were being contained only to stumble into a trap. Waiting for us had been Yuan, leader of the Renegades, and his second-in-command, Botta, both prepared for combat to prevent us from escaping. Both were skilled fighters that came at all of us relentlessly. Lloyd personally seemed to have a grudge with Yuan, but that was something I did not have the time to dwell on. When the leader of the Renegades and Botta could no longer fight, we could not pass up the opportunity, escaping with the fliers we needed, our goal accomplished at long last.

At least, our first goal had been accomplished. Focus quickly shifted to rescuing Colette. It was with great hesitance that the group decided to rest the night in Flanoir to recuperate before we went after Rodyle. While it did not sit well with any of us, the day's grueling battles had taken their toll, and it would have been utterly foolish to leap into another fight with exhaustion already on our heels.

We were quick to leave in the morning, taking to the eastern skies as we had all been anxious to do for quite some time. I knew that Presea was deeply concerned, that she wanted nothing more than to find Colette unharmed, and that she had to be disturbed by how Rodyle had used her. It was practically a relief that we found where the Desian Cardinal had fled to relatively early in our search.

Lloyd was the first to swoop his Rheaird down low enough that he could jump off. "We've finally found you."

I was not far behind the young swordsman, neither were the others, and soon we all stood on the rocky ground of Rodyle's floating hideout. Colette was only a few yards away, her wrists shackled, her angel wings exposed, and a strange ring of orange light surrounding her. Blue eyes wide at the sight of us, she cried out, "…No, Lloyd, stay away! It's a trap!"

Surprised, Lloyd glanced around as if expecting the trap she spoke of to be sprung on us any second. "What?..."

Before anymore could be said, Rodyle appeared, materializing between us and Sylvarant's Chosen of Mana. His smug expression spoke of nothing but triumph, celebrating the fact he had lured all of us here. It was the same wicked glee in his eyes that had filled his gaze when he'd discovered that Presea had finally returned to Ozette. I clenched my fists to contain the anger swelling inside of me. This was the man that had used Presea to kidnap Colette, and the same man that had had a hand in how the same little girl had come to have that cursed Exsphere.

"You will pay for using me!" Presea exclaimed as she hurried towards him, lifting her ax ever her head to bring down upon the Desian. "Let Colette go!"

When her weapon came crashing down the only thing it hit was stone as it passed right through Rodyle. The pink haired child was startled, letting go of her ax handle for a moment.

Raine gasped softly. "An illusion?..."

Suddenly Rodyle appeared a bit to the left, his features impossibly more smug than before as he laughed obnoxiously. "Hahahaha! You can have that worthless Chosen. Now I understand why Lord Yggrasill left her alone."

"Worthless!" Lloyd repeated indignantly, his hand hovering over the hilt of his sword prepared to draw it in an instant.

"Absolutely. A sinful Chosen like that is completely useless for my Mana Cannon." Rodyle remarked snidely gesturing back at Colette disdainfully as if she were not even worth that effort. His words were sharp, cutting into the girl that stood behind his image causing her to visibly cringe where she was being held prisoner. "She can't save the world. She can't merge with Martel. She even puts her friends in danger. What a pathetic Chosen."

Presea's tone dripped with outrage as she waved her ax at the image of the Desian threateningly even though she knew him to be an illusion. "Stop blaming Colette for things she did not do!"

Clenching my jaw I took a step forward, furious with his words. What right had he to judge the girl that he had kidnapped? Who was he to call her sinful when he had stripped one girl of her life with an Exsphere and stripped another girl of her freedom? "Indeed. It is enough that I alone bear the weight of sin. You and I are the epitome of sin! I'll drag you down to hell with me!"

Rodyle deserved that fate, perhaps more so than I did. He had used Presea, taken her very will from her for some length of time, and then taken Colette as a captive. That was to say nothing of the horrendous deeds he probably committed as a Desian Grand Cardinal. He saw how serious all of us were, caught my fierce gaze even, and still laughed it off with a scoff. "Take me to hell? You inferior beings and your silly jokes."

Before I could respond to Rodyle's taunts, a loud piercing shriek erupted from above. I saw Colette's eyes go wide, full of both fear and helplessness. Her voice ringing of desperation she called out, "Everyone, please, run!"

The image of Rodyle cackled wickedly. "Now, my darling pets! Feed on the flesh of these wretched beings!"

Just as they had in Ozette, a pair of winged dragons swooped down upon the platform, hovering menacingly. Their jaws opened and closed exposing gleaming fangs that dripped with saliva in menacing anticipation of their promised next meal. The sight of them panicked Colette further, drove her to struggle against her bindings even though she obviously could not free herself, shaking her head and again pleading with us to flee. "Don't try to fight them! Run!"

"Winged Dragon, a subspecies of dragon. Carnivorous. Excels at the pursuit and capture of prey." It was as if Presea was assessing the situation out loud, her words punctuated and calculating as she drew her battle ax prepared for any advance the beasts made.

"Give me a break!" Zelos remarked almost exasperatedly. "I'll pass on dying, thanks!"

Drawing his swords, Lloyd set his jaw, watching the dragons for any sudden movements. It was one of the almost rare moments where I could see him truly focused, all of his concentration devoted to one task. This was a side of him that I had only seen in battle, where all of his attention became concentrated on survival as well as victory, or when he had worked on the inhibitor ore in the mines. "All we have to do is defeat them before they can kill us."

"Indeed." I nodded in agreement, shifting my weight to a more comfortable stance as my muscles coiled beneath my skin in preparation for the battle to come. "I have no intention of becoming part of the food chain without a fight."

The two dragons that were poised in the air above us could not be more than infants for their species, and I found it odd for a moment that the Desian Grand Cardinal would send two baby dragons to deal with his foes. Yet it became clear that Rodyle had perhaps put a bit more planning behind this trap when another roar sliced through the air behind us, causing us to turn partially to find that a larger, full grown winged dragon had flown in to join in the prospective meal of its young.

With dragon on both sides even if we intended to attempt an escape it would have been futile to even put up the effort. The size of the parent dragon gave it the advantage to block any movement towards the edge of the platform, and the smaller dragons in the air would more than likely swoop down to pick off anyone to slow to open their wing pack and mount their Rheaird. Even though Colette had insisted we run, we really had no choice but to fight our way off of the platform, and to rescue the Chosen of Sylvarant we would need to free her from the strange bindings Rodyle had put her in.

"Here they come!" Sheena exclaimed as she saw one of the baby dragons tip their wings to dive down, pulling her cards from her sash and taking her battle stance. It was only a few seconds later that the other small dragon followed its sibling, shrieking viciously as it snapped at the ninja once it was in range. The dark haired woman had been ready though, the spell behind her cards circling in the air before her and colliding into the snout of the beast, knocking it back. "Pyre Seal!"

Struck by the enchanted cards, the creature was propelled backwards, its wings crumpled and unable to save it from falling hard to the platform. The second dragon was caught off guard mid-dive when Lloyd leapt into the air to meet it head-on in a rapid summersault with his blades out to make the rotations slice into his opponents. "Omega Tempest!"

The younger dragons were acting rashly, probably from lack of experience when it came to an actual hunt, but the parent dragon was another matter. Its nostrils flared the instant a rune circle appeared underneath Raine's feet, it large head jerking in her direction, the beast was sensing the shift of mana around her. She'd made herself a target, more so than with the fact that to use magic she needed to be stationary, concentrating, with her eyes closed. Massive jaws parted to release a loud roar before the beast swung its large head in the Professor's direction meaning to knock her off balance at the very least.

"Raine!" I moved on instinct, bolting forward, placing myself between the half elven woman and the beast. Blocking would have done me no good, I would have been overpowered easily, so my only chance was to counter. With a small jump forward spinning in the air to gather as much momentum, I threw out my right leg. "Rising Dragon!"

My kick merely stunned it, thick scaled purple skin cushioning most of the blow. I only had time to land before it whipped its massive head once again, this time slamming into me. The impact with the dragon knocked the air from my lungs instantly, but it was the second impact, this with the stone floor of the platform, that made me see stars for an instant. I shook my head to clear it, rolling to my side so that I could climb to my feet. Even though Raine was still finishing up her spell, and Genis was conjuring up one of his own now, I was the one that had the beast's attention.

With a snarl it lunged for me, jaws wide, large fangs ready to tear into my limbs the moment they clamped down. My mind was still a bit dazed, but I didn't need to think to react. I was so used to combat that it felt natural to wait until the last second, just before that enormous mouth snapped onto me, then crouch slightly, springing into a back flip leaving my left leg extended to strike the creature. "Crescent Moon!"

The technique also bought me enough distance to land safely and prepare for the creature's next strike. Behind me, I could hear Raine complete her Nurse spell, the wave of healing energy stirring up around us all, and at the same time one of the baby dragons shrieked in pain. I did not have time to look why. The Winged dragon rose up, growling, its eyes glazed over in a way that seemed unnaturally intelligent for its kind, and it was the only warning the beast gave.

I ran to my left as fast as I could, barely escaping the Ground Dasher that the parent dragon had unleashed. But while I'd been focused on narrowly escaping how where I'd stood a moment before was shaking violently, the beast swung its head at me once again.

"Finality Punishment!" Presea had somehow appeared in the path of the dragon, swinging her as in a circle, slicing past the creature's hard scales. She gave it no time to recover from the injury, swinging her ax once again, this time in an upper cut. "Infliction!"

With it stunned from her onslaught, I saw my chance, leaping up into the air, sweeping my right leg back and forth twice, then jabbing my heal into the dragon's eye for the final blow of the technique. "Dragon Dance!"

It was then I heard the second infant dragon yelp in defeat. With all of our combined might falling upon the winged dragon, it too, soon fell, Zelos striking the final blow with his Light Spear technique. Triumphant, our group hurried back over to the strange cage that contained Colette finally prepared to free her.

"Colette, don't worry. We're going to get you out of there." Lloyd assured her with a wide grin as he approached, swords still in hand but resting at his sides. But before he could even get close enough to free the girl, a strange orange light sprung up under her feet, spreading over the platform underneath where all of us stood.

"No, it's too late!" Colette gasped.

"What is this ominous light that threatens to engulf us?" I asked as I felt my legs grow heavy, as I saw from the corner of my eye that Lloyd was now hunched over his swords on his knees. Next to me, Sheena had also dropped down, and I saw Raine was leaning on her staff, Genis at her feet in a sitting position.

"Arrgh…I can't move!" the summoner growled out in frustration, struggling to stand.

"It's Colette!" Genis exclaimed in realization his blue eyes wide on the Chosen of Sylvarant. "The mana from Colette's body is flowing out towards us!"

"It's caused by that magic circle beneath her!" Raine cried out.

"Colette! Get out of there!" Lloyd shouted to the blonde girl, the worry in voice ringing through.

"I can't…I'm chained to it. I…I can't move." Colette called back, her blue eyes downcast. Never had I heard such defeat in her usually hopeful tone, never had I seen her gaze so sorrowful, and it did not seem right on her feature. She was normally bright in spite of dim circumstances. "I'm sorry. I'm just a Chosen who couldn't save her friends, much less the world. Maybe I'm just like Rodyle said, 'a pathetic Chosen'…"

"…No, Colette, don't delude yourself." Presea remarked firmly as she pulled out her ax once again. "What's wrong is this system that demands the sacrifice of the Chosen!"

Struggling hard to step forward, perhaps her enhanced strength giving her the power to move when the rest of us were unable, the pink haired girl managed to move closer to the strange cage holding our companion, raising her weapon above her head. She brought it down in the blink of an eye, and as soon as it struck a light encircled her as her expression contorted with pain. "Augh!"

As the light disappeared, Presea fell to the ground. Her efforts were not in vain though for the strange cage shattered, as well as the chains that held the young Chosen, freeing her. The orange light that had been at our feet holding most of us in place vanished as well, giving Raine and I both the chance to move to the fallen girl's side.

"Presea! …Thank you…" Colette said softly, her wings fluttering behind her. It was just then that the ground began to shake violently beneath us, nearly throwing us all down with its abruptness. The platform was trembling, preparing to crumble beneath us.

"Whoa, what's up with the ground!" Zelos exclaimed in confusion.

"We have to get out of here!" Lloyd remarked as he glanced over all of us, even down at Presea with worry, as if to make sure we all understood the urgent need to leave.

"Lloyd, I…" Colette's protest was interrupted by another strong tremor, and she clasped her hands in front of her chest as she stumbled to regain her footing. Her voice caused Lloyd to whirl around to face her.

"Colette! You have to live!" the young swordsman shouted to her firmly, his eyes deadset with hers. He did not mean to leave her any room for argument, not with how determined he had been against the odds to rescue her from Rodyle.

"…I…I know." She nodded, unfurling her wings and lifting off into the air as the rest of us fled to the Rheairds.

We set down outside of Meltokio in a small clearing, Raine carefully setting Presea down after having carried her on the Rheaird to safety. It seemed that the young ax woman was uninjured, that she was merely unconscious, which was much to my relief.

"Is everybody okay?" Lloyd asked with concern glancing over each of us with his deep brown gaze to be sure of our health. He paused a bit longer than he needed to on Colette, but it was obvious that he worried for her most of all as he did not know what had befallen her while she had been in Rodyle's clutches.

"I'm still alive!" Zelos chuckled pointing out the obvious, which earned him a bit of a glare from both Lloyd and Sheena. While he was most likely trying to brighten the mood it seemed no one else was prepared to let go of the serious atmosphere that had surrounded the party since we'd set off in search of the Desian Grand Cardinal that had taken our friend prisoner.

I, too, wasn't ready to just brush off what had happened. Rodyle did not seem the type at all to go to the lengths of kidnapping for no reason at all, and he had very specifically taken the Chosen of Sylvarant. Musing, I could not help but voice my question to the others, wondering if perhaps they might know more and be able to answer me. "…But for what reason did that Rodyle character kidnap Colette?"

Appearing a bit sullen by the reminder, the girl replied, "He said he needed a Cruxis Crystal in order to control the Mana Cannon. But apparently, mine didn't work."

"Instantly our young leader's face filled with confusion as he turned back to the blonde girl. "Mana Cannon?"

"Pietro, the man we saved in Hima, also spoke of this Mana Cannon." Raine said to him with only a small note of admonishment in her tone. She obviously thought he should have recalled the information, even if she was not going to openly say so to her student. Her attention then returned to the pink haired child at her feet just in time to see the girl's face scruntch up a bit fighting off consciousness for a moment more.

"Presea's waking up!" Genis murmured happily.

Indeed she was, for Presea visibly flinched as her eyes fluttered open once, fending off the sunlight before she then pulled herself up onto her elbows. It seemed she took a moment to assess what had happened while she was out before she then looked up to Sylvarant's Chosen of Mana. "Colette…are you okay?"

At the sound of her voice and the sight of her awake, Colette instantly brightened, beaming down at her. "Yes, thanks to you."

Even if Colette did not know it, that had been exactly the right thing to say to the young ax woman. Presea had sworn to save the blonde girl, she had been distraught over her involvement in the kidnapping, voluntary or not. She had wanted to make up for it anyway, she had wanted to set things right, and to hear that she had from the very person she had struggled to save had to be more meaningful then anything else. Perhaps that was why, instead of saying anything else, Presea's usually stoic expression was lit up by a bright smile.

_Sweet Goddess…_

Everything around me seemed to still, just for an instant, as I was lost in that hauntingly familiar face, the vision of the love I had lost. There, in this little girl that had also fallen victim to an Exsphere, was Alicia staring back at me, especially in her smile. While this girl had always looked so much like my beloved, it was in that moment that it tore my heart to see that smile again when I knew it was not Alicia, it would never be Alicia again. But Presea looked so like her, so strikingly similar, that it was as liberating as it was heart wrenching. On one hand it was like seeing the woman I had loved so dearly, but on the other is was another reminder that she was no longer with me.

"Presea smiled!" Lloyd laughed happily.

That smile, that smile that was so much like Alicia's. There was no mistaking it, no doubt in my mind, how much they looked alike, which was probably why I murmured without thinking, "…She resembles her, just as I thought."

While I did not visibly stiffen after my carelessness, I did freeze, waiting for someone, anyone, to catch me for what I had said. But while Raine's calculating gaze met mine briefly, she did not ask for any explanation, nor did she draw attention to me. It made me wonder if she had heard me at all. But the focus of the group was shifted when Zelos spoke up again.

"Okay then, now that my cute little Presea has smiled, it's a good time to start thinking about the next step." Tethe'alla's Chosen, indeed, was right that now was the time to plan what we should do next, as it would be easier to work off an optimistic moment with our spirits up.

"Yeah. We got Colette back, so what now?" the young spellcaster inquired.

"What else?" Lloyd remarked with a determined grin. "We're going to separate the two worlds!"

"So we're going to form pacts with the Summon Spirits of both worlds." Zelos commented with his arms crossed over his chest.

Sheena's grin turned confident as she met Lloyd's gaze. It was a completely different expression, a completely different stance, for her than when she'd been told she had to make a pact with Volt. After overcoming such a trial, perhaps she was much more sure of her abilities. "This is where I come in, right? How about we start with the Summon Spirit, Gnome? He should be near here."

"All right, that sounds good." Lloyd agreed with a nod. Then his eyes landed on his teacher, her perplexed and far away glare causing him to worry. "Professor? Is that okay with you?"

She blinked, her train of thought broken suddenly. "…What? Um, Y…Yes, sure. That's fine."

Lloyd observed her for a moment. "Professor?...Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing." She brushed the question off casually. "Anyway, let's get going."

"Would it be wise to continue on so soon? The sun will set in only two hours and we do not know what challenges we will face in temple." Presea pointed out as she slowly climbed to her feet. Her words probably made us all think of the numerous puzzles and lightning rods we had dealt with in the Temple of Lightning all just to gain access to the seal.

"P-Presea's right. We should probably make camp here and start off fresh tomorrow instead." Genis said with a slight stammer.

Lloyd glanced to the Professor first, and when she nodded in agreement, he flashed everyone a broad grin. "Okay, so I guess we make camp then. We all deserve a rest after the day we've had anyway."

So the tasks were divided, Lloyd insisting that if I didn't mind I should be the one to make dinner. As the only alternative was to have Raine cook, again I surrendered to her brother's pleading, as well as our leader's request. I had decided on tenderloin, and was watching it carefully when I sensed someone take a seat next to me on the log I'd been positioned on for quite some time.

"So…she reminds you of someone?" Raine broke the tentative silence, her voice soft to keep her statement quiet. She had heard me earlier. I was grateful she had at least waited to speak to me about it, as well as she did not seem prepared to press for any information I was not forthcoming with. "I should have guessed that."

I could see not only the Professor from the corner of my eye, but Presea, the girl we spoke of as well. I couldn't help the smile that tugged at my lips. "And here I thought you were concerned about Rodyle and the Mana Cannon."

"Of course I am." She insisted a bit sharply as if to warn me not to imply she'd be so foolish as to forget the threat the Desian Cardinal posed, but then she too grinned. "But after you said there was no connection between you and Presea, I was curious as to why you were still so interested in her."

While it would have been a relief to share my thoughts on the subject with someone, especially someone like Raine who could aid me in piecing it all together, I did not think it wise to. I had once thought there was no connection between myself and the pink haired girl, I had even once hoped that there would be no connection, now I no longer knew what I should think or what I should want. Any connection, any link, that could be would not be a fortunate one, at least none that I could conceive of. So I said nothing to her comment, opting for a meaningful silence instead of trying to weave some sort of lie, especially since I was a horrible liar.

"And I suppose whoever it is she reminds you of was very important to you." the half elven woman commented a moment later, watching me as if she thought my expression might give her more insight.

"Someone…very important to me." The response was cryptic, but true, and as much as I could bear to give her for the time being.

"Hmm." The Professor seemed to consider this response, the silence falling between us now much more comfortable than first. Out of anyone, it was Raine's trust that I would truly have to earn. She was the most cautious, the most guarded, and while I had not made myself a threat to her, I had made myself a mystery. She was curious as to my motives, and for that I did not blame her. With a small sigh, she finally just shook her head. "I suppose it doesn't matter why you have stayed with us and continued to fight with us, Regal, just that you have. You've been more than helpful…and more than kind."

"I've just been doing my best to return the kindness you all have shown me, Raine." I told her as I glanced over to her surprised to have had her actually, in her own way, accept me as part of their group. "Although it does help that this fight that you are in is for the good of us all."

"That it is." She murmured softly. "And there is a lot we have to fight for."

I could still make out Presea off to my side, the young woman that did not look her true age but wore the face of my love. Even if there was no link between us, I did not think I could just walk away from the chance to get to know her, to perhaps piece together some sort of connection between us if there was one at all. Instead of sitting idle in my cell, protecting her gave me purpose. Fighting for the fate of two worlds gave me purpose. "Yes, we do."

_She heard a noise. She normally would have ignored it, gone to bed, and prepared to yell at Sanji for his drunken antics in the morning, but the staff party was over. Everyone was supposed to be in bed. No one should have been up. The only reason Alicia wasn't asleep already was because her chef friend had had way too much to drink, and she'd had to drag him across the mansion to his room before she could return to her own. The fastest way to her room was through the kitchen, and she was just inside the swinging door when she heard the noise._

_It could have been anything or nothing at all merely her mind playing tricks on her, but then she saw a shadow moving near a counter across the kitchen heading for the rear door that led out to the main hall. For a moment, Alicia was frozen. With all of her senses she tried to identify this second presence, to determine if it was a fellow staff member that seemed to be fumbling around in the dark. She just couldn't seem to recognize the silhouette in the blackness around them, and that caused a frightening train of thought in her mind._

_What if it was an intruder? All of the staff should have gone to bed already, not all of them needing to carry an intoxicated colleague around the estate first. Her heartbeat tripled when she also realized that any of the other servants wouldn't be stumbling in the dark like this. If she hadn't been startled by this mystery person, Alicia knew she would have turned on the lights herself, but whoever was in the kitchen with her had not._

_That meant that whoever they were, they didn't belong here. Panicked thoughts flitted through her mind. What if this dark figure had broken in? What if they had come to rob the estate…or worse? No, this was her home too, almost!_

_Her hand fumbled in the dark for anything that she could use to defend herself and possibly chase this intruder out. The only thing she found was the wooden handle of a broom what was kept rested against the wall, so she took it, holding it like a weapon and taking her first few daring steps forward. Although she was aware of the intruder, the intruder seemed oblivious to her, even as she crept closer. She didn't want to think about that this person could possibly be armed or the fact that she could tell that the intruder had stopped in their tracks suddenly. She tried to remember that she had the element of surprise._

_Just as she managed to close most of the gap between them, Alicia was nearly trembling in fear. She should have gone for help or something more sensible, but instead she leapt at the intruder swinging her makeshift weapon at the dark figure with all her might._

_But her target spun around instantly, catching her weapon with ease before she could land a blow. _

_It had to have been the adrenaline, mixed with fear that this was an intruder that made her draw in a sharp breath to prepare to scream, eyes wide in horror. Perhaps the other person knew this, or anticipated it, either way a large hand shot out to cover her mouth and muffled the sound. The intruder's other hand then rested on her shoulder, having tossed the broom onto the floor a second before, whether to prevent her from bolting or from struggling. "Please, don't scream! Please…"_

_Alicia didn't think she could have. Something was strange here, for the voice of the intruder was vaguely familiar even though it had come out in a hiss, and she could nearly make out their face in the dark now. Why wasn't she frightened as this person guided her backwards, releasing her shoulder only to flip on the lights? Immediately she was blind, and she had to blink several times before her vision focused on the visage before hers._

_At the same time, the intruder jumped back, stunned. "Alicia!"_

_"Master Regal!"_

_"I-I apologize, Alicia. I never meant to frighten you!" the young Duke was fumbling over himself now, his eyes filled with regret._

_"No, Master Regal, I'm sorry! I practically attacked you!" the young woman stammered out feeling the heat rising in her cheeks. What had she done? How could she have not recognized Regal when they had been spending their lunch breaks together for nearly two years now? It didn't matter if it was dark! He was going to be so furious with her. "I-I didn't know it was you! I…I thought you were an intruder…it was dark…I'm so sorry, Master!"_

_It was when she bowed her head, hoping to avoid having to see the anger on his face, that she noticed something strange about him. Never before had she seen her young master in anything but beautifully tailored suits, the finery of his status, and yet there he stood in a simple pair of blue cotton pants with a white cotton shirt clinging to his lean, muscular form. Alicia blushed all the more for taking note of what he was wearing and concerning herself with it just before he was probably going to yell at her._

_"You thought I was…" He couldn't help but laugh._

_"Master Regal?"__ She risked looking up at him and was surprised to see the amusement in his eyes, the grin across his lips. Her heart did an all too familiar flip, as it always did when he smiled at her, or when she heard him really laugh._

_"I suppose I didn't help matters much…walking around here in the dark." He chuckled, collecting the broom off the floor and setting it up against the wall to his right. There was a different air about him that Alicia had not seen before, one that was carefree, one that he could never have had in the stressful office of the Lezareno building. She liked how it made him seem so much more vibrant, so much more alive when he turned back to her. "I really never meant to frighten you."_

_"Master Regal…did you…go back to your office at the Lezareno building for something?" Alicia cocked her head to the side, observing the man she had never seen wear anything but a suit. As far as she knew, the Duke stayed once he came home in the evening, eating dinner, and then usually disappearing into the study. She had never seen him about the mansion at night. "Was there some sort of problem?"_

_Regal stiffened at the question, eyes darting to the side._

_"Master?" she coaxed softly, taking a small step forward. He would usually talk to her; she treasured all of the conversations she'd had with him ever since Sanji had assigned her to take the young company president his afternoon meal. _

_"Alicia…" Again his voice was soft, nothing but a whisper, and he clenched his fists at his sides. When he finally did look up, he felt trapped by her concerned gaze. He was unable to bring himself to lie to her. He was a terrible liar and he just couldn't bring himself to be dishonest with her anyway, for she had never been that way with him. She was gazing up at him with worry. It was tearing at him now, shredding through his defenses, even though he had kept this a secret for so long, everything was suddenly crumbling. "I…don't know if I should say…"_

_"Is something wrong?" She questioned, attempting to read his face, but not finding the answers there. Why did the Duke suddenly seem so upset? _

_"I need to tell you something, Alicia, something that I have kept secret for quite some time now." Regal said in a hushed tone, glancing around as if he expected someone else to come through the swinging doors and into the kitchen. Taking another step closer, he held her gaze. "Perhaps I should not ask you to keep this a secret…but I owe you an explanation for what I am doing up at this hour…and after everything, you deserve at least that."_

_Alicia nodded, unsure of how to respond to that. What could her employer have to tell her that he had never told anyone else? What could he have been keeping secret? Did it have something to do with why he was sneaking around in the kitchen so late at night in such casual attire?_

_"Can we…talk somewhere else?" He made a gesture in the direction of the rear door, and she gave him a small encouraging smile. Seeming only slightly relieved, he led her in the direction he had been headed in from the beginning, then through the main hall and to the south exit of the mansion that led out into the gardens. Opening the door for her, he gave her one last half-smile, before shutting the door silently behind them, and motioning for her to take a seat on the back steps with him. _

_For quite some time, she could only watch him struggle with words. She wanted to be able to reach out to him, but she didn't understand what was going on, and she never would if she didn't let him explain. Besides that, she couldn't help but be flattered in the back of her mind. Here she was, alone with the Duke, late at night, out in the gardens, and he was going to tell her something he had never divulged to another human being. Then her common sense kicked in within an instant, telling her that she needed to be attentive to her young master now when he seemed to need her so much._

_"I go out at night…alone…to learn martial arts." He finally spoke._

_"You…what?"__ She practically gasped. _

_"I suppose I should be clearer. I've been learning Dragakendo for about six years now." Regal began slowly closing his hands in his lap, his azure gaze focused on the ornate cobblestone walkway of the garden. "Dragakendo is a dying martial art that only few have mastered, and there is only one living master left in the whole world. He agreed to train me in secret."_

_Alicia nodded even though he could not see it in his position on the stone steps next to her. Then her brow furrowed with confusion. "But, Master Regal, I don't understand. Why do you need to be trained at night, and in secret?"_

_"Unfortunately a man of my status should be more concerned with business, or dealings in the Royal Court, not the fighting arts. If anyone knew about my training to fight it would be frowned upon." The young Duke explained in a long sigh, daring to glance up at her for a moment. He found it strange that out of all of the people he knew in Tethe'alla, all of the nobles, and the business tycoons, and everyone else he'd encountered before, it was this girl that he felt the most comfortable with. He felt he could tell her anything and she would not judge him, just like when they sat in his office chatting over lunch. "I normally would not worry what others thought of me, but I do not want to cause trouble for Lezareno when I am its main representative."_

_"So you go out late at night to train, Master?" she asked to help herself clarify. The apprehension in his expression was obvious to her even in the dim glow of the garden's lamplights. He had been doing this for six years now, slipping out at night so that no one would know that he was learning martial arts, and he'd been caught. Did he truly believe she would tell someone? Did he think that little of her? "I…I'm so sorry!"_

_"What do you have to apologize for, Alicia?" His eyes were now locked on hers, the confusion beginning to replace his nervousness._

_"I never meant to catch you! This is your home, you should be able to come and go as you please!" If she squeezed her eyes shut tight she could forget how handsome he looked without his bangs slicked back like usual, and she could shield herself from the guilt swelling in her chest. He would hate her for destroying six years of uninterrupted lessons. Alicia didn't think she could handle the nobleman's contempt._

_But then a gentle hand was on her shoulder causing her to start, eyes now open wide, finding him to be looking down at her with what had to be tenderness in his gaze. "You've done nothing wrong, Alicia. You didn't know, no one knew. And I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone found out. I am in no way upset with you, all right?"_

_She nodded hurriedly, hoping he didn't notice that her fingers were buried in the folds of her skirt or her thundering heartbeat. "I…I won't tell anyone, Master Regal! I promise."_

_"I won't force you to keep my secret; I should not even ask you to." Regal insisted in what could have been a regretful whisper. Again he looked away, his hand still on her arm as if the contact was to reassure him as well, and he bit his lower lip. This girl was his servant, anyone else in his position would have just ordered her to keep her mouth shut, maybe even threatened her job to ensure her silence, but he could not do that. Not to Alicia, who was kind enough to spend her lunch breaks with him and who blushed adorably so often in his presence. The Duke knew he could never ask of her anything she was not willing to give._

_"Does practicing Dragakendo make you happy?" Alicia inquired at the same volume, placing her hand over his and giving it a squeeze. At any other moment she would have been rejoicing that she was touching her young master's hand, that her side was practically pressed to his. But she could see the sadness in him, the preparation for defeat and the loss of something that was so important to him._

_Her heart fluttered when he gave her a small, wistful smile. "Yes."_

_"Then it will be our secret." How she loved being able to reassure him, to put that sparkle back in his gaze! Inside she was rejoicing, she was memorizing how his large hand felt wrapped in hers, but on the outside she could only beam up at him._

_Regal squeezed her hand, mentally noting the way it made her blush. "Alicia…thank you."_

_"Maybe…I can help you make sure no one else finds out." She didn't mean to get so excited, but the idea of being able to spend even more time with the nobleman, of being able to help him with something no one else could, had her almost bouncing up and down on the steps. "You know, help you come in and out of the mansion easier so that you don't get caught again?"_

_He watched her for a moment, thoughtfully, wondering how this girl managed to make him so comfortable. Regal was used to being treated differently, to being treated as if he would lash out at the slightest mistake of those around him, but Alicia was the only one who treated him like she did everyone else. She was friendly, and eager, and cheerful with everyone. He was surprised how much that meant to him. "I would like that."_

_Like a gentleman, Regal took her back to her room that night. Alicia hoped that the dark hid her blush, and it wasn't until she was in her chambers with the door shut that she realized that they had not discussed any plans of her actually participating in any of his nightly ventures. Part of her considered going after him, the other part remembered the time and the fact she would see him for lunch the next day. They would have plenty of time to plot then._

_She was yawning loudly the next morning when she entered the huge kitchen of the Bryant estate. Many of the other staff members were looking at her oddly, and she didn't understand why until she saw Sanji smirking at her. He waved over in the direction of the counter across the room. "Oh, there was something special here for you this morning, Alicia."_

_A vase of red roses awaited her, if the large white card with her name scrawled across it was any indication of whom they were for. She moved over to it slowly, and she knew that Sanji was looking over her shoulder as she opened the card; she was just too amazed to care. Alicia had never been sent flowers before. The message in the card might not have meant much to anyone else, but it was enough to make the poor girl blush as red as her roses._

Alicia,

I wanted to thank you again for last night.

R

_No one else would know what it meant, who it could be from. Sure there were a few things they could infer from it, but that didn't mean they would come any closer to the truth. The only one who seemed to know who might have sent Alicia the roses was Sanji. Alicia was sure that he knew, because when she turned to see his reaction to the card, he had that knowing little grin on his face, the very same grin that he wore every day when he sent her off to the Lezareno building with their young master's lunch._

To be continued

**End notes: **The questions answered in this chapter were 1) Where did Regal learn to cook (especially since he's a Duke and I doubt that a lot of nobleman concern themselves with their culinary skills) and 2) What was Regal's original fighting style. I thought that if Regal learned to cook from his mother, someone he cared about and looked up to, it would stick if not become something he could really enjoy. I bet no one expected a kid Regal…even I hadn't been planning on it when I started this. Second, I made up Dragakendo to explain the fact that Regal originally fought with his hands (which he says when he breaks them out of the cage with a huge blast of energy). Hopefully, no one minds that I've taken so much artistic liberty in creating Regal's past, but I think it fits his original character. Thank you for taking the time to read, and any insight you can offer is always appreciated.


	5. Five

**Title:** On my Honor

**Author:** Yamato795

**Pairing:** Lots of mentions of RegalxAlicia, but no other ones planned at the moment…

**Rating:** Let's go PG-13 to be safe, since they do swear in the game, and the violence.

**Status:** Chapter 5 out of ? parts. Lots planned, but a number is not clear just yet.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Tales of Symphonia. Please don't sue me.

**Spoilers:** A TON, mostly for Regal. I'd say this story is better suited for those who have beaten the game if you ask me. Read at your own risk of spoiling anything. Since it starts where Regal comes in, it should spoil quite a bit of the game after that, don't you think?

**Summary:** Take a look through Regal's eyes as well as a look into his past.

**Author notes: **This took me longer than I thought. Heh. I'm really glad that everyone that reads it is enjoying it so much. I wish I had more free time to work on it, but I do really try. The only note that I can think of is that I hope you enjoy, and that I tried my own spin on Regal's experience in prison this chapter. Let me know what you think!

On my Honor

Chapter five

After acquiring a pact with Gnome, the Summon Spirit of Earth, we had managed to sever our second mana link as well as become one step closer to our goal. While concerned was raised about what things would be like after the two worlds were separated, we continued onward to Flanoir in search of the Temple of Ice and the spirit Celsius.

It had been a long time since I had been near the icy city, yet the climate was given no chance to hinder me. Monsters riddled our venture to the temple, and hindered our progress through its chilling structure. I suppose battling numerous monsters was a decent way to keep warm considering it was necessary to defeat the creatures to reach the seal room. It was only after we had formed the pact with Celsius that we were given time to catch our breath it seemed, as the monsters that had bombarded us before now seemed wary, keeping their distance as we made our way out of the temple.

Upon our exit, though, the ground began to tremble. The sudden shaking was familiar, a signature of yet another mana link being torn out, or so we believed. While we had already experienced it twice, we were all startled by the sudden tremor.

"It's an earthquake!" Lloyd practically yelped in surprise, stumbling to catch his balance but still managing to bump into Zelos. Tehte'alla's Chosen gave him an annoyed look, pushing him away, and the crimson wearing swordsman had to deal with a patch of ice before he finally attained sturdy footing.

"It's happening a lot lately." Sheena commented after giving Zelos a warning look that had the red head holding up his hands in surrender.

"Perhaps it's related to severing the mana flow?" Raine remarked as if to remind them of all of the other instances where this had happened before. The Professor and I had discussed such a theory when we left the Temple of Earth, and had agreed that such a thing was possible. "There was an earthquake soon after we stopped the mana flow between Volt and Undine."

"Splitting the worlds apart is no minor task. An earthquake or two should be expected." I commented as the ground finally ceased to shake just as abruptly as it had begun. From the corner of my eye I could see the Professor nod in agreement. Considering it was a mana flow that connected the two worlds, instituting the system of one world flourishing while the other was in decline, having two opposing Summon Spirits active at the same time would at least break the system if not break the two worlds apart.

"Well, either way, we should get going. It's really could out here." Colette spoke up after a moment, hugging herself for warmth. The wind had picked up again, billowing out loose snow around us. She shivered again flashing Lloyd a sheepish grin to quell his worry.

"Should we stop at the Flanoir Inn to plan our next move?" our young leader asked instead of voicing his concern for his childhood friend, starting back through the snow the way we had come.

"Did we not already buy supplies?" Presea questioned her confusion only making it into her voice not her expression as she spared a glance up at me. When we had stopped in the town earlier Raine had given the two of us several hundred gald to buy ingredients, as much food as possible with the amount she'd given us. "Or are we going to rest before we continue on?"

"It would at least give us a chance to warm up." Zelos said as he too hugged himself for warmth, his teeth starting to chatter. I was beginning to think we'd been out in the cold too long, but my train of thought was disrupted by a flash of light in the distance. When it was followed by a rumble of what sounded to be thunder, our eyes were drawn in the direction the light had come from. Taking a few stunned steps forward, the red headed Chosen was nearly gaping in shock. "What's going on!"

Presea took a few steps forwards as well, her azure eyes wide. "That's…the direction of Ozette…"

"…Yes." I managed to say softly, hating that it was true. Whatever was happening in the quiet little treetop village, it could not be good from the looks of it.

"What could it be?" Genis demanded with his eyes squinted slightly in the hopes of being able to see more. The boy stood on his tiptoes, the color draining from his young face. "There's a staggering amount of mana flowing from that lightning."

"I have a bad feeling about this." Raine whispered. Unfortunately I was certain that was how we all felt, especially when another lightning bolt ripped across the sky.

Lloyd pivoted slightly so that he could meet all of our gazes. "Let's go."

We followed without question, mounting the Rheairds and taking off in the direction of Ozette. As we drew closer, the knot that had twisted itself into my stomach jerked violently because it was very hard to miss the smoke that was rising from the village or the stray bolts of lightning. What could be happening there? I didn't know if I truly wanted to answer, not from what I could see of the small town, yet I did not hesitate as we circled around quickly to land. Lloyd, Colette, and Presea ran ahead as soon as their Rheairds disappeared into their Wing Packs, giving no heed to Raine's cry to wait. We had no choice but to chase after them.

When the three reached the top of the large branch and stood before the ruined inn, gazing upon the flames that were slowly consuming everything around them, Colette's eyes went wide and she gasped, freezing just as Lloyd and Presea had. "No!..."

"…This is…horrible." The pink haired girl managed to utter as she surveyed the devastation. For once the pain in her voice was evident, the vulnerability visible in her posture. While perhaps only her body was still child, in that moment she seemed reduced to the age she appeared, a little girl watching her home slowly destroyed and reduced to cinders. Genis had stepped up behind her, but I believe the young half elf knew that there was no comfort he could give her for this, not yet.

"What happened here!" the brunette swordsman demanded.

Sylvarant's Chosen shook her head, and then gasped again, pointing out in front of them on the ground. "Look!"

And while Colette had spotted someone on the ground, Genis had spotted something happening above. Large branches were becoming dislodged, eaten away by the flames, and seconds away from falling down on the unconscious villager. "Lloyd! Look!"

Frantically, the blonde angel called out to the stranger to warn him. "Look out!"

She was too late. There was nothing any of us could do as two of the large branches fell, one off to the side of the boy, missing him by several feet, and the second came down right next to him. Our young leader was the first to recover from the shocking sight, rushing to the child's side and kneeling down to see if he was all right.

"What's wrong, are you okay?" Lloyd asked him even as he coughed a bit on the smoke all around us. Presea, Genis, and Colette hurried over to join him to help rouse the fallen child. He the glanced around seeing how widespread the fire now was. "We have to get out of here!"

"This way." Presea gestured down the branch that led to her house. It seemed to be the only safe passage through the fire, the only area untouched by the destruction.

With Zelos' help, Lloyd managed to carry the unconscious boy to safety. Presea's house had not been damaged at all, but in the time we waited for the injured villager to wake, the branch that served as a path to the rest of Ozette burned and was destroyed, just like all that had been above it. I was actually surprised just how quickly the boy we rescued come to, but after Raine had looked him over thoroughly I should have expected as much.

His blue eyes fluttered open, surprise filling them instantly. He timidly glanced about, startled when a red gloved hand came into view and for a moment al he did was look at it. Then when he seemed to realize that none of us posed a threat, he took Lloyd's hand, allowing the swordsman to help him to his feet.

"What the hell happened here?" Lloyd asked him, one hand waving back in the direction of the decimated town.

"…I don't really know. Suddenly, lightning fell from the sky, and angels attacked the village." The blonde boy told us, his voice carrying a frightened note. After what he had probably seen and all he had just been through recently, it was understandable.

"Angels?" Raine repeated, as if to be sure she'd heard right.

"They had wings." He replied slowly glancing to her. "Those with wings are angels…right?"

Instantly Lloyd's expression contorted with anger, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. It was just like when Kratos had appeared to us here before, how infuriated the teen had become within seconds. "Dammit, it must have been the Cruxis!"

"Cruxis…so angels destroyed the village…" While quiet, Presea's voice was shockingly even, although it held a hint of her sadness if one was listening closely.

It was still difficult for her to express her emotions, thanks to her Exsphere, but that did no mean she didn't have any. After what she had just witnessed, on top of everything else she had already been through, had to be far as to much pain for anyone to bear alone. There had to be so much going through her thoughts, so many feelings meshing together to ensnare her, that even though I knew the answer, I asked her gently, "Presea, are you okay?"

"…I'm fine." That was not the answer I expected, but that she glanced up at me reassuringly was enough to stop me from pursuing the matter further, at least not yet. "But…this unsettling irritation…is this…anger?"

Zelos looked the blonde boy he'd helped carry to safety up and down, a small smile on his face. "I'm impressed you survived. Are you the only survivor? What's your name?"

"My name is Mithos." The boy answered in his soft, almost timid voice. "I lived by myself on the outskirts of the village, so…"

"You have the same name as Mithos, the hero!" the crimson wearing swordsman exclaimed, cutting into whatever the child had been about to say.

Genis suddenly looked curious. "…Wait, are you a half elf?..."

Mithos shook his head wildly, his eyes flashing with fear for only an instant before he took a few steps back from the group. "I…I…no."

The sympathy in Raine's voice betrayed that she knew his fear, perhaps she understood it better than the rest of us, and her gaze softened on the boy. "Relax. You can tell, can't you? We have the same blood flowing through our veins as you do."

"You're half elves too!" the boy practically gasped glancing back and forth between the professor and her younger brother, his disbelief clearly written across his young face. He then paused to look over the rest of us, his blue eyes measuring as they passed over, until confusion crossed his features and he turned back to Raine. "But you're with humans!"

"It's okay, we're all friend here." Colette assured him with a warm smile.

The blonde boy shook his head. "…Humans and half-elves as friends? You're lying!"

Genis took a few quick steps forward, cautiously as not to startle the other half elf, but to at least close part of the gap between them. "No, it's true. My sister and I are part of this group."

Again there was an underlying note of sympathy to Raine's voice. "Relax."

But in spite of their reassurances, Mithos still appeared on edge, his gaze wandering from the faces of the Sage siblings to discreetly observe the rest of our group. He obviously, and quite understandably, had issues with humans. "…Y…yeah, but…"

"Your reaction is understandable." I told him the hopes of easing some of his tension. "I've heard that the village of Ozette is particulary known for its contempt for half-elves. If you've lived an isolated life in this village, you must have suffered."

"What happened here?" The deep voice from the edge of the forest caught all of our attention, alerting us to the presences of Altessa and Tabatha. I was surprised I had not sensed their approach, but with all that had been happening around us my focus had already been divided between Presea, the destruction of Ozette, the unfortunate child Mithos, and what our party would do next.

"You're Altessa, right? What are you doing here?" Lloyd asked after turning to see just who had asked the question.

"I saw the lightning of judgment fall towards the village." The dwarf replied slowly as he once more surveyed the area around him. "But what in the world…"

"It was the work of Cruxis angels…" Presea cut in, her usually soft, flat tone laced with more bitterness than it had ever held before. She had lost her home to those who claimed to be angels and she did not even know why. Cruxis was made of half elves that used evolved forms of Exspheres, so perhaps they held the same contempt for the villagers as the people of Ozette had always held for them. But to destroy practically all traces of life here? Such a deed had to be considered monstrous, especially to a child who was raised here.

"Presea! You've regained your true self!" He appeared absolutely stunned, his eyes transfixed on the small girl. This was the same man that had refused to help her before, and now he was staring down the result of our assistance in reversing the parasitic effects of Presea's Exsphere. It was only after I was sure I saw a flicker of guilt across his features that Altessa spoke again. "How could they do this? Is this their punishment for failing the experiment?"

"What do you mean, punishment?..." Sheena's question voiced my thoughts almost exactly. What the dwarf had said did not make sense. What experiment could he mean, except for the one which involved the creation of Cruxis Crystals and Presea?

"…Nothing. It's nothing!" Altessa insisted all too quickly, his eyes having widened at what Sheena had asked. Panicked, he spun on his heel and all but ran back in the direction of his house before anything else could be said.

"Wait!" Lloyd exclaimed, charging after him.

Tabatha stepped into his path, one arm outstretched to keep him from following the dwarf. "THE MASTER BELIEVES THAT IT IS HIS FAULT THAT OZETTE WAS DESTROYED."

"Altessa is connected to Ozette?" Colette cocked her head to the side in bewilderment.

"...YES." The strange woman nodded before she glanced over her shoulder in the direction Altessa had gone. "EXCUSE ME. I AM WORRIED ABOUT THE MASTER."

She paused for only a second, as if she expected one of us to try to stop her, before she then hurried after the dwarf quickly fading from sight. In her wake, she left all of us confused, wondering just what a failed experiment had to do with the destruction of a village. Te silence stretched on for only a moment, yet it was slightly tense in that none of us seemed to know what to say.

Except for Presea, she was the first to speak up again. "I'm…going to follow him."

"Yeah." Lloyd agreed as he turned back to the rest of us, his expression full of determination. His gaze then fell on Mithos. "Mithos, you should come with us."

"But I'm a half elf and…" the blonde began to protest.

With a broad smile, our teenage leader shook his head to dismiss the argument. "That doesn't matter. Besides, what are you going to do if you stay here and the angels come back?"

Genis also turned to the blonde half elf, stepping up to him and taking his hand. "Lloyd's right! Let's all go together!"

Surprisingly enough, Mithos offered not further protest, although he had appreared very startled when the white haired spellcaster began to pull him along as our group started towards Altessa's. And with each step he took, the blonde boy seemed more at ease thanks to Genis remaining close to him along the way talking excitedly. I, on the other hand, was watching Presea more closely. She was off to face one who had had a hand in her condition, one who had helped to take part of her life from her, and yet her usual stoic expression remained.

She had to be suffering, how could she not? Her village, practically her home, had been destroyed and the people she once knew were gone. Already she had lost time, and she nearly lost herself. How much more would cruel fate take from her?

Altessa, even Tabatha, had not gone inside. Instead, they waited at the tope of the hill that led to the dwarf's home as if they had expected us to follow eventually. It was not until Lloyd stood only a few feet from him that I saw the craftsman draw in a breath, and then words spilled from his lips laced with the guilt I had spotted in him earlier. "…I was a craftsman who worked for Cruxis."

Our leader visibly bristled. "So you're on the side of the angels…of Yggdrasill!"

The dwarf looked stunned, gasping, "You know Lord Yggdrasill!"

"Know him!" Lloyd shouted incredulously clenching a fist. "Because of him, Sylvarant and Tethe'alla were twisted into worlds that fight for each other's mana!"

"…" Averting his eyes from the swordsman's fury, the dwarf's gaze fell onto Colette and he studied her for a moment before murmuring, "That's a Cruxis Crystal… I see. You must be the Chosen of the declining world. This may be fate. …What happened to Ozette was my fault…"

Presea rushed forward a few steps, the movement the only thing that betrayed the turmoil within her because her voice was still very collected, her gaze remaining even. "What…do you mean?"

"I came to hate the work I did, for it was indirectly taking people's lives. I ran from Cruxis and hid in Ozette." The dwarf explained slowly, his gruff voice quiet, nearly reserved as he had to turn his eyes from Presea's. It was as if in that moment he could no longer look at the small girl, the guilt that Tabatha had suspect him of before weighing down on him more than it ever had now that he was trapped under the young ax woman's glare. "But I was found by a Desian named Rodyle. He ordered me to create a Cruxis Crystal in exchange for my life."

"So that means the research on Presea was organized by Rodyle and the Pope, who then had you and Kate carry it out?" Zelos demanded as his features actually hardened a bit and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"…Right." Altessa nodded after a moment, glancing at all of us except for Presea the truly could not bring himself to look her in the eye again. "Rodyle, a Desian in service of Cruxis, was also planning to revolt against Cruxis. Because I supported him in that…Lord Yggdrasill grew angry and he… He destroyed the town of Ozette, which had protected me!"

_Sweet Goddess…_

No wonder it appeared his remorse would cause him to crumble, Altessa was in part the reason Presea had been experimented on. It was for his own life that he had participated in Rodyle's plot to create Cruxis Crystals, to protect himself he had corrupted the life of an innocent child. But it was, in fact, an answer to one of my most burning questions. I finally knew why such a cruel fate had fallen upon the girl that mirrored the face of my beloved. Quietly, to myself, I couldn't help but whisper sadly, shaking my head, "So this is how Presea…this girl who reflects my distant memories… This is how she was caught up in this… This is terrible beyond words."

Finally, Altessa mustered the strength to lift his gaze to Presea's, the relative silence now broken by his soft spoken words. "I'm sorry. I can never apologize enough, but…apologizing is all I can do now."

"…My time…will not come back." She murmured, her fingers curling into the folds of her dark skirt. "…The people of the village and Daddy will not come back."

"Presea…" Genis looked as if he wanted to move to her, to comfort her.

"I'm sorry." The dwarf said again.

The girl turned on her heel, putting her back to him in what could have been a very pointed, and shunning, movement. Yet I could see in her eyes just for an instant the sadness welled up within her threatening to burst out given any slight chance or small crack in her composure. "…Don't apologize. Even if you apologize…I can't forgive you right now."

"…" Altessa appeared torn, unsure of whether he should continue to profess his remorse or if he should respect her wish to stop apologizing. Finally he just turned, hurrying into the house without looking back, escaping for another moment the guilt Presea had to embody for him.

"PRESEA…I BELIEVE YOUR LOSS HAS BEEN GREAT." Tabatha broke the silence with her steady, even tone where only the words conveyed sympathy. "BUT PLEASE, DO NOT LOSE YOURSELF AS WELL."

When Presea did not react, Tabatha then moved silently to follow her master into the house, closing the door behind her. It seemed that none of us in the wake of their departure knew what to say, to the pink haired girl or otherwise, except for Mithos. "I…can understand Presea's feelings a little. Some things…never come back… Even if he apologizes…even if you want to forgive, you can't control those feelings."

The weight of the metal bonds on my wrists increased those words, my own guilt leaking into my thoughts and spilling from my lips. "Not being forgiven…that may be punishment."

Lloyd spun on his heel, his chocolate eyes seeking my own before he shook his head to dismiss the notion. "…I don't think that's right. Forgiving or not forgiving isn't a punishment…I can't really explain it well, but…"

"Ah, well, anyway, let's not get into a philosophical discussion right now." Zelos insisted as he tossed some of his red curls over his shoulder with a sigh. I could see he was watching the small pink haired girl from the corner of his eye before he exhaled loudly and went on to say, "Presea doesn't need to force herself to forgive him or anything. Let's just think about what we can do now."

"Yes, you're right." Raine agreed with a nod. "As for me, I think we should take this opportunity to ask Altessa all he knows about Cruxis. We currently don't have enough information. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah…" Lloyd murmured softly. "Presea, would you rather wait here?"

After a moment, Presea pivoted to face him shaking her head. "…No…I'll listen as well."

It was a slow trek into the house as our group seemed hesitant to go inside. I was surprised that Presea wanted to face Altessa again so soon, after everything, yet her stoic expression again held firm, and once inside she had not trouble looking right at the dwarf. Fate had been so harsh to her, and yet she could move on, she could keep going forward in spite of losing practically everything she knew. I couldn't help but wonder if I would only add to that pain, if I had already taken something from her as well.

Any bond between us would only mean more suffering for her. While I wanted to know why I would see my beloved when I would gaze inter her azure eyes, I didn't want to see her look at me as she had Altessa, unable to forgive the unforgivable.

I should not have said anything during our discussion with Altessa. Yet when the Professor had come up with her theory of the worlds being bipolar, I had not really thought through my comment about the legend of the Other Worldly Gate in Altamira, and so I had brought it to her attention. Doing so had been foolish, but perhaps that would only be on my part.

The others would have no problem going to Altamira, Zelos had even suggested it before, but I could not go back there, at least not yet. I was the only one that dreaded going there, that refused to, and I would not be able to tell them why.

So when it was discovered that in the night, as the rest of us had been sleeping, guests of Altessa, Raine had slipped out and quite possibly had left for Altamira on her own, I did not protest as we set out to follow her. There was nothing I could really say. This was my home, and it had been my remarks that had spurred the half elven teacher on this trip, so what could I tell Lloyd or the others that would make them understand my hesitance?

_I…cannot go back…_

As we approached the gates of Altamira, the entrance into the city that I had lived and loved in, I felt my chest, my torso suddenly too small to contain my rapidly beating heart. Without thinking I had slowed my pace, falling slightly behind the others, and just before they could enter the city, I heard my voice, my strangely even and collected voice, shattering the silence. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to stay here."

All of them turned back to me, their eyes curious, prying, trying to pick apart my composure to find my reasons for wanting to stay behind. Lloyd tilted his head to the side, blinking in confusion before innocently asking, "What's up?"

I could not answer without lying, unless I wanted to reveal everything and that was something I was not ready for. So I said nothing, keeping up the front of calm, of indifference, trying not to sway with guilt under their gazes. I had come to care for all of them and yet I was ashamed that when I revealed all of my secrets to them, they would no longer offer me the kindness and acceptance they had given me before. "…"

"Won't say why, huh? Well, if you don't want to talk about it, that's your business." Zelos commented with a nearly smug grin. I had to wonder what he was thinking then; worried I might have just confirmed whatever suspicions the Chosen of Tethe'alla had about me. But he merely pivoted and put a hand on Lloyd's shoulder jerking his thumb in the direction of the resort town. "Lloyd, let him do what he wants."

Our young leader hesitated, whether it was because he worried about leaving me alone or whether he wanted to know my reasons for remaining outside of Altamira I do not know, but after a moment he gave in with a sigh. "All right. We'll catch you on the way out."

Even though he couldn't see it, I nodded, resolving to stay near the gates of the city to wait for them in spite of the memories that lay within the town. I watched them go for only a moment until I had to tear my eyes away, steeling myself against all of the reminders, all of the old scars that would be reopened with too long of a glance.

Altamira had once been my home. It had been where I had been raised, where I had grown up, where I had fallen in love, and where everything had crumbled down around me. The resort town housed everything I had known, everything I had loved, and nearly everything that I had made up my identity. But not anymore. I had destroyed that, I had lost it. Altamira could no longer be my home. I did not deserve anywhere to call home now.

And what would I have returned to? Contempt, disgust, and horror? To the pain of bittersweet memories and the sting of knowing that it was by my own hand that everything had been torn apart? No, Altamira could no longer be my home. There was no place in either world could truly be my home without by my side. Memories of her would never be enough.

_And with I did to her…I do not even deserve those…_

_"Alicia, I…I've wanted to ask you something for a while." Regal sat across from her at the desk, something that was now normal for her in the afternoons, as she had been eating lunch with him for three years. But the tone of his voice was different today, almost nervous, and she saw him take a deep breath before he continued. "I was wondering if…if you would like to…maybe…join me tonight for the new play opening at the theater?"_

_She never meant to gape at him; she just could not believe that he was asking her to go with him somewhere other than his office or the dojo. Her lack of response, her silence, seemed to signal the Duke that he had done something wrong, causing him to trip over his own words._

_"Forgive me, I never…I shouldn't have…" He looked away, the cheerfulness that usually filled his demeanor in her presence falling away, replaced by disappointment._

_"Master Regal, wait…" Alicia spoke up quickly after seeing that hurt cross his expression. How could she have been so rude as to not at least reply to his invitation? Why was it so easy for him to make her speechless, surprising her again and again with his kindness and caring smile? "You're not trying to…thank me for keeping your secret, are you?"_

_As much as it hurt her to think of it that way, it was the only reason she could think of that he would ask her to join him that didn't get her hopes up. The Duke was a wonderful man, and she would have given anything for him to ask her what his invitation sounded like, but her rational mind put a stop to that hope. It reminded her that she was his servant, even if he was friendly with her, even if she knew his deepest secret, and because she was his servant Regal would never see her as anything more._

_When his head snapped up at her accusation, she was surprised to see a tint of pink to his cheeks. "No, Alicia, that's not…you know I am in your debt for keeping my secret, but that's not why I wanted for you to come with me tonight. I will…understand if you refuse…I do not want you to feel obligated to say yes. And perhaps it was too much of a gamble for me to request a date…"_

_"A date?" she whispered stunned._

_He nodded, blushing a bit more as he did._

_"Master Regal, I'm so sorry! I thought…I never meant to…" The flush in her cheeks had to at least match his. While she was trying to contain her joy she was also struggling to soothe the hurt her reaction must have caused the young nobleman. "Oh, Master, I'm…I'm so sorry. I would love to go with you…if you would still like me to."_

_The smile that crossed his lips was gentle, reassuring, and he placed one hand over hers on the top of the desk, giving it a small squeeze. "The play doesn't start until ten tonight. I will come by your room around nine-thirty, all right?"_

_Oh, how she had to be blushing! "All right."_

_And for the rest of the day, Alicia was sure she was still blushing. She had left the Lezareno building in a daze, she'd done the rest of her duties in a daze, she barely noticed Sanji's knowing look, and she'd gone to her room still in a trance. Regal, _the _Regal Bryant, the man she had fallen for when she was just a child, had asked her out on a date! On a real, romantic, just the two of them for an evening, _date_! The entire day her heart had been trying to flutter out of her chest and fly away._

_He'd asked her on a date! It was all she'd wanted for so long that she couldn't believe that she wasn't dreaming; that she wouldn't wake up any minute. But even as she dug through her closet for something to wear, even as she did her hair over and over again so it would be perfect, she prayed to Martel that if she were asleep now that she would never wake up. It took her until it was nearly time for him to arrive to be ready for him, but as she stood in front of the mirror she had to smile. The dress she'd splurged on a month ago was finally going to be put to use, as well as the earrings her sister had given her before she left for Altamira._

_When a timid knock came from the other side of her door she nearly jumped out of her skin, but instead hurried to answer it. Her hands were shaking, she was afraid her whole body might be shaking, as she opened the door feeling faint while her heart threatened to grow wings again._

_"Hello, Alicia. Are you ready?" His voice was soft, and he was grinning at her like he had up in his office, the combination nearly causing Alicia to melt on the spot. She couldn't stop her eyes from combing over him subtly amazed not to see him in a suit. He wore instead a simple, light green button-down shirt, minus the tie as she could tell he hated them, with a pair of tan slacks that hugged his well toned body. His long bangs were still slicked back and the length of his blue locks was tied back as well, allowing her to see the mixture of anxiety and warmth in his gaze. She couldn't believe that he was nervous as well._

_"Yes, Master Regal." That was nearly an automatic response, which she was thankful for, because her voice didn't crack over the ingrained reply._

_He shook his head. "No, tonight, I'm just Regal."_

_Did she resemble a cheery at that moment? Her face was nearly burning. "Oh, of course…"_

_When he offered her his arm, she took it without a second thought, allowing him to lead her from her doorway, only pausing to shut the door behind her, and then heading for the south exit. Alicia hoped she wasn't shaking, that he couldn't feel her racing pulse through the grip he had on her. But if he felt it, the noble never mentioned it. "You look lovely."_

_Had he ever seen her in anything but her uniform? Regal couldn't think of a time she'd worn anything but the black dress and apron that made up her daily attire, but it wasn't as if he didn't find her attractive in it. In fact, he thought her uniform made her look adorable, but he doubted there was anything she could wear that would have detracted from her beauty. Alicia had dawned a long, pale blue sundress that had thin straps to leave her arms bare, the skirt coming down to her ankles, and a pair of short heeled white sandals. She had redone her pigtails, having decided that she preferred her hair back, and the simple silver hoops that hung from her ears added just the right touch. Although, perhaps he liked the color in her cheeks more than the jewelry, but he'd never say so._

_"Thank you." This was really happening, it was finally hitting her, now, as they walked through the gardens. She was leaving with the Duke, on a date, and he'd just given her a compliment. If not for the grip he had on her, Alicia was sure she would have fainted right then, the contact just enough to keep her from collapsing on the cobblestone walkway. She kept her gaze from his, hoping it would allow her to keep her voice. "You look very handsome too, M—um, Regal."_

_He didn't mention her slip, only watched her thoughtfully for a moment. There was no doubt that she was shy, he'd known that for quite some time now, he just was unsure how to make her comfortable, as he had never done this before. She might laugh at him if she knew that. A twenty-four-year-old man that had never been on a date before, it sounded pathetic. While he cursed the fact that he had no prior experience in these matters, he struggled to break the silence and cut through the growing tension. "I've heard the play is going to be some sort of romance story tonight. The reviews are favorable."_

_"Do you like romance?" He was silently celebrating the fact that she finally looked up at him, the color in her cheeks lessening. The last thing he wanted to do was make her nervous, or uncomfortable._

_"It usually depends." Regal answered sincerely, with a small shrug, seeing that they were now in the limits of Altamira, the streets fairly quiet for this time in tourist season. Flashing her another of his dazzling smiles he drew her a bit closer so that he could lean down and whisper in her ear, "But I am certain that I will at least enjoy the company."_

_Alicia was absolutely certain that this was a dream now, for it was too good to be true. She was sure she'd never heard Regal, who'd been raised to be proper and serious all of his life, be playful. So she was sure that as real as the warmth radiating from his arm seemed, as real as his breath had felt too, that this had to be a dream. A vivid, wonderful dream. Either that she had died and this was paradise. Beaming up at him, she squeezed his arm slightly. "I agree, the company might be my favorite part of the evening."_

_Taking deep breaths, she knew that she could do this. She'd been having lunch with this man for three years, almost every day, and for those three years she'd talked to him. She could do this. It didn't have to be awkward. There was no reason for her to be nervous._

_"Have you been to the theater here before?" He was still watching her, still keeping her close, almost as if he were trying to keep her off balance. Well, she knew that he wasn't trying to do that, the Duke was a gentleman through and through, but she couldn't help but feel something was working against her tonight._

_"No, I don't usually go out late at night, or…I didn't used to." She answered, surprised no one else was waiting for the Elemental Railway once they stepped off the small elevator. She saw that the operator straightened when he caught sight of Regal, fumbling with the controls a bit after learning of their destination._

_"That reminds me," the Duke said softly to her just as the train began to move, and he had gone back to observing her. "Master Goatta has been asking where you've been the past few nights. I think he enjoys when you come with me to the dojo almost as much as I do."_

_"Oh. I would come with you more, Regal; it's just that I'm not used to being out so late and then getting up early the next morning." Pangs of guilt made her smile recede, having to glance away from her date for a moment. She loved to visit with Master Goatta, Regal's trainer in the martial arts, but since most of her duties began early in the morning, it was hard enough to help her young master sneak in and out of the house, let alone go with him. "Honestly, I don't know how in the world you manage to do it."_

_"That is because you've never caught me asleep at my desk before." Regal chuckled with amusement. When they'd finally arrived, he paid no attention to the people murmuring in front of the pub, leading her straight to the elevator and past the casino. He was mindful of the fact it seemed she'd never been to this part of the island before, his pace slow enough to allow her ample time to look around before they crossed the bridge and descended the steps of the theater._

_There weren't many people waiting in the seats yet, so there was plenty of room for them to sit with an excellent view of the stage. Alicia couldn't help but be excited that when they sat down Regal released her arm only to wrap his own around her waist. She couldn't believe how natural it felt to have him hold her close, even if it was lighting her nerves with an eagerness she'd never felt before. For a moment she was tempted to rest her head on his broad shoulder, but she stopped herself because she caught sight of another couple watching them, pointing, and whispering not far away._

_"Alicia?" His voice caused her to snap back to attention, gazing up at him. Once their glares met he tilted his head to the side, quizzical. "Is something wrong?"_

_"Those people…they're staring at us." She nodded in the direction of the whispering couple, watching as Regal spared a glance at the people observing them before a frown set on his lips._

_"I suppose I should apologize. I know how easily recognized I am, I just did not anticipate that people would be so rude as to gossip about my presence here." He sighed heavily, shaking his head for a moment. Leaning down to whisper in her ear, the arm that was wrapped around her waist tightened a bit. "Just forget about them, what they do isn't important. Tonight, you are the only thing that matters to me."_

_"Regal…" Alicia couldn't help but blush crimson again. She would have said more, but the lamps around the seats suddenly went low, music came from behind the curtain somewhere, and spotlights switched on with a loud click with their beams pointed at center stage. The show was about to start, and even though the audience was small, therefore unable to make enough noise to drown out the music, everyone around her fell into a hush._

_The actors were much better than the actual plot of the production. The main character was a warrior that had a heart like stone until he came upon a land in crisis, and once he had saved the land from evil, a princess was promised to him as a reward. Only she refused to be his bride, even though he fell head over heals for her. Alicia lost track of what was going on once she found the courage to rest her head on the Duke's shoulder, and in response Regal took one of her hands with his free one and distracted her with by running his thumb idly over the back of her hand. She didn't think it mattered if she remembered the ending or not._

_It wasn't that she fell asleep it was more like she was lulled into a comfortable state by the warmth of his body and the innocent way he held her. She could tell that Regal was not really paying attention to the play either, for he kept glancing down as if to check on her every once in a while. She would have liked to be able to talk to him, even though her eyes were somewhat drooping, the blissful feeling of being held flush against the Duke making the voice of the warrior confessing his love to the princess fade away. There was nothing left but how his thumb was brushing over her skin, how she was soaking in the warmth of being next to him._

_When the lamps around the seats brightened and everyone around them began to clap loudly Alicia was roused from her trance. Politely, she applauded while the actors each took a bow, and from the corner of her eye she could see the same couple still watching her with Regal. She didn't understand what was so strange about the young president of the Lezareno Company going to see a play that they felt the need to stare. Once the applause died down their observers finally began to depart, only looking back a few times._

_"That was almost dreadful, wasn't it?" Regal chuckled softly as he stood, holding out a hand to her, a sweet smile across his lips. For a moment all she could do was stare at him in the lamplight, memorizing the way it played off his handsome face._

_"It wasn't completely awful." Alicia giggled, taking his hand, realizing that it didn't seem so strange to do that anymore. When he helped her to her feet he took her arm in his once more, something that made her beam up at him without thinking. "It was predictable, most romances are, but the acting was pretty decent. Plus the company was wonderful."_

_"And here I was worried you would not have a good time." The Duke remarked with that dashing smile, his azure eyes practically glittering. With a wave of his hand he motioned for them to begin up the steps out of the theater, back up to the bridge where gentle breeze made him sigh, inhaling the salty sea air. "At least it is a beautiful night."_

_She was surprised that he stopped on the bridge, but moved over to the railing pulling him with her, gazing out at the black waves as they rolled on endlessly it seemed. In all the time she had been in Altamira, she'd never really had time to appreciate the beautiful scenery. No wonder the resort town was so successful. The ocean view here was gorgeous, whether the sun was shinning, or it was the moon that was shimmering down over the water. How long had she been here, and never taken the time to notice? After a long moment, she had to look back up at him, somehow not surprised that he was watching her again, and grinned. "Yes. It's perfect."_

_"Well, nearly perfect." His comment surprised her, and she did not expect to hear concern in his tone either. "You seemed unsettled by those people watching us."_

_"No, I'm fine. It was just really odd to have them staring at us the whole time practically." She admitted slowly, trying to forget how strange it had been to feel eyes on her nearly during the entire production. She bit her lip without thinking about it. "Do you…get that a lot when you…"_

_"I'm sorry, Alicia." The nobleman sighed his shoulders slouching with the release of air. Just a moment before, he'd appeared so happy, so carefree, unlike when she saw him in his office in the Lezareno building. Yet now that he had brought up the way they had been watched, that cheerfulness seemed to have vanished, replaced by this sullenness. "I did not expect that my presence would cause such a stir. Perhaps the next time, I'll take you somewhere more private?"_

_Next time…he'd said next time. Her heart nearly fluttered away, and the shy smile he was now sporting could only mean good things. Regal really wanted to try this again! Yes the evening had been short, it was late now after the play, but it had been well worth nearly being spied on to be in the Duke's arms. _

_"That sounds nice." She whispered, suddenly realizing that he'd wrapped both arms around her, that he was leaning down far enough that she could feel his heated breath spray across her skin. When had he shifted their positions so that he was standing right in front of her, both arms curled about her waist, forehead nearly rested on top her own? Those azure orbs had Alicia in a trance, making her forget as soon as she noticed how close he was, only concerned with the depths of his gaze and how she was practically trapped within them._

_His hand came up, gripping her chin, and his rasped words glided over her cheeks, warming them. "…Forgive me, Alicia…"_

_Before she could ask what he meant, Regal had sealed his lips over hers in one fluid motion that sent her entire world spinning off its axis. If she had thought she had been elated when he had proposed a second date, her definition of elation had to have been lacking, because it didn't compare to the sensation of his lips over hers. In reality it had been somewhat brief, chaste, and she could only guess as to why he had asked for her forgiveness before hand. He probably thought he was either rushing her, or it might not be something she wanted._

_He drew back a moment later, not stepping out of the embrace, more like raising back to his full height, until her hands were on the sides of his face. Freezing, he could not stop himself from fearing the worst. Even if they had known each other for so long now that did not mean she would be comfortable with a kiss, that she would want one from him. _

_"I suppose you'll have to forgive me too then." Having to stand on her tip toes, she moved up to capture his lips in return, wanting him to see that he was everything she had wanted for so long. When his arms tightened around her and he bent so that he was more in her reach, she nearly giggled, but had to hold it in. She was kissing the Duke! She was kissing the man she had admired from the moment she had met him. But what meant even more to her was the fact that he had kissed her first._

_So enveloped in each other, so engrossed in these new feelings sprouting between them, neither Regal nor Alicia noticed a familiar figure stumble out of the casino not far away. The man grumbled something to the woman that had shoved him out the door, his vulgar language and proposition causing her to slam the door that much faster. He took one last swig from the bottle as he stepped under the yellow ring of one of the lamps, questioning how drunk he really was when he spotted the couple on the bridge._

_George swore, loudly. The more rational, and not as nearly intoxicated, part of his functioning mind had managed to recognize both Regal Bryant, his employer, and Alicia Combatir, in each others' arms. He could see that they were kissing, and it just made him question his sanity. When the sight didn't vanish, he cursed again._

_That girl was going to be a thorn in his side. For years he had been struggling with how to get rid of Regal, ever since the night the Duke had escaped death on the Elemental Railway, unlike his parents. He'd been working to isolate the noble; make is so that if Regal were to suddenly disappear, it would not cause such a commotion as the death of the previous Duke Bryant and his wife. The drunken man could see his plan failing now, as Alicia clung close to the young man, and for the second time, George knew he had to change his strategy._

_An accident hadn't worked. Isolation hadn't been achieved. It was time for something more drastic, but what? His eyes narrowed on the servant girl that his employer held tight, and even in his stupor, he realized that Alicia might be something he could use to finally get what he had been after for so many years. _

I could not be sure how long I stood there, how long I waited at the mouth of the one place I was certain I could never return to, but I did not waver in my vigil of the gate. It was there that I remained, true to my word, until the group appeared once more, Lloyd at the front.

"Are you leaving?" I asked, more than ready to be rid of the sight of the city that held far too much of my memories.

"Yeah." Lloyd nodded with a small, practically forced smile. I was not sure what had happened in the city, I could barely even guess, but as they passed me, barely noticing that I fell in step behind them, I heard our young leader begin to discuss how to get to our next destination with Genis and Mithos. Whatever they had discovered about where the Professor had run off to, it appeared they were anxious to get going.

"Say, Regal." Tethe'alla's Chosen of Mana had been walking next to me for the past few minutes, watching me, finally deciding to voice his thoughts. The expression on his face held no hostility and yet I dreaded what he might have to say. Zelos was the only one who could expose me, if he only knew. "Why didn't you go inside Altamira, hmmmm?"

"I…don't like that city." I murmured having to turn my eyes from his. My response was as honest as I could be at the moment. I no longer 'liked' Altamira because of all the memories it held for me, all of the scars that it could slice back open.

"Oh, really. You got some sad memories there or something?" Zelos asked as he glanced ahead of us to make sure our conversation was staying private. That was odd, especially since he was no the one with something to hide. Yet he'd slowed his pace to match mine, falling behind our companions a bit to offer us this chance to speak without interruption or having to explain it to anyone else.

"…Chosen." I said without thinking to get his attention again.

"Yes?" His azure eyes snapped back up to mine.

It had to be seriously low of me to use what I knew of him against him in such a way, but for some reason it was like Zelos meant to rub salt in my reopened wounds. He had called my weakness, so perhaps on some level I felt it right to point out his, and griping my chin, I blurted out, "I've heard that, when it snows in Meltokio, you go on a pilgrimage and spend a long time in the city to the south."

For a moment his eyes widened, his grin gone, but when it returned, he held up his hands as if in surrender. "…Okay, okay, okay. Looks like we both have wounds we don't want touched. Well, it doesn't matter anyway. I just wanted to find out if you're _that_ Regal or not."

Raising an eyebrow I waited a moment before I inquired curiously, "And what did you intend to do if I was?"

"…I was just curious." The swordsman insisted, tilting his head to the side to observe me, looking for something almost. Whether he found anything, I could not be certain, but he flipped some of his hair over his shoulder as he quickened his pace to catch up with the others. "Sorry for prying."

_He knows…even if he hasn't put it together just yet…_

_But…he hasn't said anything to the others it seems…_

I didn't understand if it was just something Zelos wanted to figure out to make sure he was right before he revealed all, or if he was trying to respect my privacy. Either way, the red headed swordsman was still trying to place me, trying to figure out if he knew me from before his journey. All I could do was wonder what he would do with such information because I couldn't bring myself to try to mislead him. If the Chosen of Tethe'alla placed my identity, then it would be of his own doing. I just had to wait and see.

_Regal could barely remember his first few days in the palace dungeon after his arrest. He knew that he had sent a letter to George dictating how Lezareno should be handled as well as his wishes for Alicia's funeral. But there wasn't much else he could be certain of other than the fact that he had been wallowing in his sorrow, seeing his crime replayed in his mind a million times over. Then it just seemed that he woke up one day in a cell._

_The King had probably been powerless to stop the process of him being assigned to a cell with two other prisoners, as when he woke it was to the unfamiliar sounds of two men arguing. Regal shook his head, amazed that he'd been lying down on a bed that hung off the wall by two chains, and then he slowly sat up planting his feet on the floor. Azure eyes blinking, struggling for focus, he brought his hands up to rubs his eyes only to find his wrists were restrained by a heavy pair of shackles. It should not have startled him, if he remembered correctly he had demanded they be put on him even though prisoners were not usually shackled while in their cells, but it was still shocking to see them and to be instantly reminded of why he wore them._

_Pain surged through him, its all too familiar ache wrenching at his tattered heart while his mind envisioned his beloved. Would there ever be a moment where he was not consumed with grief? An instant where he knew anything but the loss he had suffered and the deed he would never be able to erase? Tears stung the corners of his eyes urging him to lie back down, to let these feelings consume him, because all he deserved now was a slow death in the hell he'd thrown himself into._

_"I see the great Duke has finally decided to grace us with his presence." The growled out comment once again alerted Regal to the presence of his cellmates, his head snapping up only to be fixed with a pair of harsh gazes. One of them, the larger of the two who was of a build similar to the nobleman's, stood, sneering, and Regal could only assume that he was the one that had spoken. Coming closer and into the sunlight streaming in from the barred window behind the Duke's head, this man then licked his thick lips displaying yellow teeth as he ran a large hand through his slimy brown hair. "That's you, isn't it? Duke Bryant? The one I heard killed a girl?"_

_The stoic expression that the young nobleman had perfected over the years did not slip in spite of how his insides twisted at those words._

_"That's him, Spike." The other cellmate chimed in, his voice nervous, shaky. From what Regal could make out of him in the shadows, this prisoner was a very thin, gangly, human being. "The-the guards told me that's who he is! He's Duke Bryant all right."_

_"So, how the mighty have fallen, eh, Gib?" Spike laughed dryly, glancing back at the other man before leaning down in the nobleman's face with that mocking sneer. "Never thought I'd see the day one of your fancy asses got locked up in here like the rest of us common trash. What do ya think, Gib? Does he look like a killer to you?"_

_Regal was barely listening to him, barely aware of the stench of the breath that Spike was spraying in his face. He had never been concerned with the opinions of others, not even now, because nothing mattered anymore. How could anything have meaning when he had taken the life of the one he loved, when he had used the techniques Master Goatta had taught him to kill Alicia? No, the words of these men were meaningless, whether they were aware of that fact or not. What could a taunt mean to a hollow man, a man whose soul had been broken the instant his lover had drawn her last breath? He merely stared straight ahead, not even bothering to lift his gaze to that of his cellmate's._

_"Guards said he's a killer." Gib stammered insistently. "Said that he killed some girl."_

_Spike snorted in the Duke's face. "What a joke! Killed a girl. That why they keep you handcuffed, your lordship? They think you're so dangerous 'cause you killed some chick?"_

_Perhaps it was the lack of response or rise from the Duke that caused the burly man's face to contort with rage and his hand to shoot out to clamp around Regal's neck abruptly. The movement slammed the young noble's head into the stone wall, jarring him from his pit of despair, but he did not flinch. He merely set his jaw as Spike yelled in his face, "Let's get one thing straight right now, pretty boy! Out there you might have had everything handed to you 'cause you were on top, but here _I'm _your master. Not the guards, not the warden, _me. _And I already don't like you."_

_Even though it was hard to breathe Regal put up no struggle against the other criminal's grip. Why did he need to struggle? Wouldn't death be his only release from this pain?_

_"Those fools are wrong if they think you're dangerous." The prisoner snarled in sheer malice. "You know how many people I've killed? You know how many people I've made _beg _for their lives only to laugh as I took it from them? No…you don't know what killing is. Doesn't matter though, your lordship, I'm going to make your new life hell. Fair trade, right? It's about time you served someone like a dog, isn't it, Duke Bryant?"_

_Azure eyes did not even twitch, the nobleman more like the motionless, nearly comatose statue the guards had first brought into the cell, even with the hand clamping down on his throat. This made Spike livid, his auburn eyes full of fire as he released the nobleman's neck to throw a solid punch into Regal's cheek. His only satisfaction with the blow was that it snapped the Duke's head to the side since there was not even a yelp of pain following the hit._

_The same hand that had tried to strangle him then grabbed his chin, roughly jerking his head upwards to force their gazes to meet. Spike looked at him incredulously for a moment before he laughed again. "You don't fight back, do you? You just going to let me smack you around, Bryant? Is that 'cause you feel _guilty_?"_

_It quickly became Spike's favorite taunt. Each day he would corner Regal, would taunt him about feeling guilty and not fighting back. Some days were worse than others, as Gib did not always feel inclined to call for the guards until after Spike had gotten in a good beating on his favorite victim and Regal never said a word. The Duke nearly welcomed the physical pain as it kept him from falling deeper into his despair and losing himself to grief. The only time that Regal had away from Spike was when he was thrust into the prison yard._

_Actually, it wasn't much of a yard; it was really more of a huge room underneath the palace that some of the less dangerous prisoners were taken for a few hours a day. As the guards seemed to know of how the Duke was treated in his cell they took Regal at a different time interval than Spike, if they even took Spike out at all._

_The young noble did not even talk to the other prisoners when he was in the yard, and most seemed wary of him. Only an older man who was starting to hunch over dared to speak to the grief stricken nobleman, and that was because he'd heard of Regal as well as the fate he'd been dealt. Not only was Regal trapped in a cell with another murderer who loved to torment him, but it wasn't long before he would be thrown into a match against a wild beast in the battle arena._

_Levin had seen the remorse in the azure eyes of this broken man. It wasn't until many days after he first spoke with Regal that he told the younger man that that was the reason he'd felt compelled to listen to the Duke's side of the story and to help him._

Raine had gone to the Other Worldly Gate on her own. She was studying it when we arrived. By moonlight she was looking over the strange circle of stones, and she was surprised when we came looking for her there. In a soft voice she told us that she had already been here, that she had spotted it from above when we had rescued Colette, and that this was the place that she and Genis had been abandoned. This was the ruin she had been searching for. Their parents had left them here, and it was because of the gate that they had lived in Sylvarant for so long. Our time for reflection, however, was cut short when a ninja from Mizuho, Kuchinawa appeared, along with dozens of the Pope's Papal knights.

Sheena was startled by his presence, by his admission of his allegiance with the Pope, and the fact that Kuchinawa sought revenge on her for her part in his parents' deaths. She tried to convince them, after several knights attacked us only to be defeated with ease, that she was the only one that deserved to die since Kuchinawa's grudge was with her. At the same time, the gate had become active thanks to the full moon, and to keep the summoner from sacrificing herself, Zelos pulled her with him into the portal that opened up. Lloyd told us to follow, so all of us charged in after them.

It was as if we were falling, that the world had opened up around us to allow us to be pulled away. And then we suddenly landed, in another world, in Sylvarant, and whatever it would mean for our journey.

To be continued

**End notes: **I have to say, I like how this chapter came out. It's a bit more about the flashbacks this time, but that is okay since I love what I've done with Regal's back story. There really wasn't much of that in the actual game. I hope you all enjoyed, and I hope that you'll keep reading. This is where it gets really fun!


	6. Six

**Title:** On my Honor

**Author:** Yamato795

**Pairing:** Lots of mentions of RegalxAlicia, but no other ones planned at the moment…

**Rating:** Let's go PG-13 to be safe, since they do swear in the game, and the violence.

**Status:** Chapter 6 out of ? parts. Lots planned, but a number is not clear just yet.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Tales of Symphonia. Please don't sue me.

**Spoilers:** A TON, mostly for Regal. I'd say this story is better suited for those who have beaten the game if you ask me. Read at your own risk of spoiling anything. Since it starts where Regal comes in, it should spoil quite a bit of the game after that, don't you think?

**Summary:** Take a look through Regal's eyes as well as a look into his past.

**Author notes: **I apologize for the delay in updating. I ended up having not only finals, but to send my laptop in for repairs. While I had access to my story, I needed some time to play the game again and get a feel for where I was. I'm sorry to have left you all hanging. I would really like to thank Christie and Marika for their support and encouragement. You guys are the best.

On my Honor

Chapter six

_Alicia had met him at the south exit to lock the door behind him and help make sure no one spotted him slipping out this late at night, just like usual. Regal hesitated in the doorway though, his gaze finding hers and he whispered to her something he found he could no longer hold back, "Would you like to come with me, Alicia?"_

"_Come with you?" she repeated, sounding stunned._

"_To the dojo."_ _The Duke replied softly, smiling down at her encouragingly. The only times he ever got to see Alicia were for short times in his office over lunch, or for briefer moments such as this normally would have been. He had been wrestling with the urge to ask her along for quite some time now, feeling he should at the very least show her this place that was so important to him. Maybe then she would understand why he felt the need to risk his reputation for the sake of learning the dying art of Dragakendo. And if he got to spend more time with the young woman who was the closest thing he had to a real friend that was just an added plus. "I thought perhaps you'd like to see it and meet the man who teaches me."_

"_Wouldn't I distract you from your training?" Alicia asked timidly, thankful for the darkness hiding her blush. For almost a year now, she had been assisting him in sneaking out of the mansion so he would not get caught again, and she had never even thought of asking to go along, or even considered he might ask her to. The fact that he had kept this part of his life secret made it private, personal, and she would never want to intrude into something that was meant to be entirely his._

"_Of course not, and I'm sure Master Goatta would love to meet you." Regal insisted, still keeping his voice low. "If you would rather stay, I understand, I just thought that you might like to come with me at least once."_

"_All right, I'll go with you, Master Regal." She told him as she felt her heart rate jump, the blush in her cheeks probably turning crimson._

"_Take my hand."_

_She about died when those words registered in her mind and her eyes focused on the hand that the Duke had extended to her. If possible, she turned even redder while her breath caught in her throat, her blue eyes gapping wide now. Regal wanted to hold her hand! This was something directly out of her day dreams, something she never thought would happen in real life. Even in the dim light she saw him cock his head to the side questioning her hesitance. "Oh, once we are out of the gardens it will be completely dark until we are close to the dojo. I don't want us to get separated."_

"_R-right."_ _Gulping down her nervousness, hoping he didn't notice the slightest of shivers run through her at his touch. She was sure she saw his smile broaden before he pulled her out the door with him, shutting it behind them, and giving her hand a squeeze while they hurried out of the gardens and off the grounds of the estate._

_It was very dark beyond the lamplights, she could barely see him at her side now, but the silhouette next to her as well as the warmth of his touch told Alicia he was still there. For the longest time she wondered if she should say something, if she should start a conversation with him as they trekked through the blackness of the night. But just as she thought of something to say, she sensed him lean down to her ear and thought she saw his free hand pointing forward. "It's just a bit further. The summit of the mountains usually hides it from view. Master Goatta used to have dozens of students, but most never really excelled in this art, so now he has only a few."_

_Not so far off in the distance there was a faint glow of light, and it grew as they came closer, soon reaching the quaint, box-like building. Alicia blushed again when the Duke stepped ahead of her to open the sliding door as if their roles were reversed. Unable to meet his eyes she stepped inside struggling to breathe deeply so that she could calm down and not make a fool of herself in front of the man she'd had a crush on since she'd met him. She turned to find Regal had closed the door behind him and was now stepping out of his shoes, leaving his feet bare, and then he placed them off to the side. No matter how many nights now she had seen him in such simple cotton clothes with his shoulder length hair loose and without any traces of gel, she always found herself staring at him._

"_This way."_ _He gestured for her to follow him down the small hallway that they had come in upon entering, turning to the right to bring them to a large room where the floor consisted of plush blue mats. An elderly man in simple white robes was leaning on a cane in front of them now, his focus on a teenage boy stretching on the mats in the far corner. "Master Goatta?"_

_When the older man turned, Alicia found that his head was bald and the beard that hung from his chin was white, but there were only a few wrinkles clinging to the corners of his friendly green eyes. The smile that spread across his lips was fond as he gave a slight bow to the young Duke. "Regal, there you are. You are later than usual tonight. Should I assume the reason for that is our unexpected guest with you?"_

"_Yes, Master Goatta." Regal murmured respectfully, returning the bow but deeper. Once he returned to his full height he waved towards the young woman who stood next to him, the sound of his voice now turning lighter, nearly eager. "Master, this is Alicia Combatir, a friend of mine that also works at the mansion."_

"_Ah, the one that attacked you with a broom when she caught you."_ _The older man nodded with a sparkle to his gaze as he noted his words made the girl blush. Turning to her, he gave another small bow, which required him to lean even more on his cane. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my dear. And I thank you for assisting Regal in slipping out at night, as well as keeping his secret. I would have been no less than devastated to lose my best student."_

_Alicia was overwhelmed for a moment, blinking in surprise. First, the Duke had introduced her as his friend! That she was too stunned to even believe, but then Regal's teacher was thanking her for keeping his secret as well. It was enough to make her question if this wasn't a strange dream, if she wasn't asleep on the wooden bench by the south exit of the mansion waiting for her employer to return. But she quickly came back to herself, bowing deeply as she remembered her manners. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Master Goatta. Master Regal always speaks very highly of you."_

_The boy that had been stretching in the corner before jogged over to them, his long black hair falling in his eyes as he grinned broadly. "Oh, Regal brought a friend?"_

"_Alicia, this is Raphael." Regal chuckled gesturing to the teen._

"_Raphael is my only other student." Master Goatta told her while raising a questioning eyebrow at the energy of the boy. "He's a quick learner but he has only been studying for half the time that Regal has."_

"_It's very nice to meet you." Alicia murmured, giving him a slight bow as well. It was so strange to hear them all refer to her as the nobleman's friend. She was really just his servant, wasn't she? Yes, they had talked in his office over lunch for the longest time, and she knew of his secret training, and he had sent her flowers once, but did that make them friends? Deep down, she hoped that it did. The Duke himself had introduced her that way of his own volition, even if it had been a polite way to introduce her. But if he did not think of her as a friend, why did he invite her along?_

_Raphael did not bow back, but looked expectantly at his teacher. "Perhaps I could show Alicia around the dojo? I'm sure she's curious about where and how we train here."_

"_Would you like that, Alicia?" Azure eyes met hers, instantly drawing her in, practically holding her hostage. Regal was being a complete gentleman, making sure it was something she wanted, and he was offering her a glance into one of the most treasured parts of his life. Would he do that for someone he only saw as a servant?_

"_Yes, I would." She nodded with a smile. Raphael took her hand the moment she agreed, already going into a long speech about the different exercises that they did in which room, dragging her away from the other two men. She only looked back once to see that Regal was watching them with an amused expression, and she realized that she had not seen him this happy in a while. This was his place, his escape from the hectic life of a Duke and the president of a huge company, and he was showing it to her. Even though Raphael was talking excitedly to her, she was letting the fact that Regal thought of her as a friend sink in, only half listening._

_Master Goatta had let the silence between himself and his best student stretch until it seemed that Alicia was out of earshot before glancing up at Regal with a sly little smirk. "So, this is the girl you're always talking about."_

_Regal's eyes snapped open wide as a rosy tint spread out over his cheeks, and he quickly looked from the girl in question to his teacher as if he expected Alicia to still be able to hear the comment while she was being given the tour. It was as if he'd been caught, as if the older man had guessed something the Duke had thought was well hidden. "Master Goatta…I…"_

"_She'll be good for you." The martial arts master cut in with that knowing tone, the shimmer in his green gaze, watching Raphael show the young woman a few of the techniques he'd been taught. Regal had known of Goatta's skill at reading people, of somehow knowing things about people he'd barely known for more than a moment that it seemed impossible for him to know. The nobleman had seen him use this skill many times, and it had been used on him as well, but not like this. "You've always been surrounded by people that are as false as their words, Regal. But I can see it in her eyes that she cares about you."_

"…" _The Duke had no idea how to respond to that._

"_When are you going to tell her?" Master Goatta inquired in his smooth, gentle voice, not the one he used to bark out orders during grueling exercises. "You really shouldn't wait too long. You may never find a girl like that again."_

_Regal knew that he was grinning again, even though his attention was focused on the servant girl that he had brought to the dojo as well as wondering just what Master Goatta meant. Tell her what? She was laughing as Raphael was trying to demonstrate something and to help her into the same position to try it for herself. If she hadn't been giggling so close to hysterics, so freely, she might have been able to keep herself in that position. But as she couldn't stop, she pulled away from the teen to wave back at the Duke. Perhaps that was the first time that when she looked at him, the noble felt his heart skip a beat before it began to thunder in his chest. He knew why Alicia felt so close to him, why he felt the need to tell her things, and why he always felt so comfortable around her, all in an instant as well as what his teacher had meant._

_He just couldn't believe that he hadn't seen it before. _

It should have had me mystified to be in an entirely different world, I should have taken some sort of time to reflect upon the fact that we had just traveled from Tethe'alla to Sylvarant, but for some reason all I could think about was the fact that we had escaped the men the Pope had sent after us. What we would do now was another story. What could we accomplish here in Sylvarant? There were still Summon Spirits in Tethe'alla that we had not made pacts with, but were there any left here in Sylvarant?

Raine was again on the same wavelength. She suggested that we find out what had been going on recently in the town we landed nearby, Palmacosta. Apparently they had not only been there a few times before on this journey, but they knew the man acting as Governor-General of the town. They were hoping that he might be able to take in Mithos so that the boy would not be put in any danger as we tried to go about the rest of our mission. My eyes strayed over the city as we went over the boardwalk towards the town square. It was strange to see the contrast between a city in Sylvarant and one of Tethe'alla, to see that their world was in decline even in a city the Professor had claimed to be quite prosperous.

When we spoke with Neil he was more than happy to take Mithos in, but he was less than pleased to inform us of the Desian activity that had been repeatedly sighted around the Human Ranch not far from the city. Apparently, on one of their earlier visits to this area, the group had destroyed this ranch, and now there was the chance it could have been rebuilt.

The members of our group that came from Sylvarant were the most disturbed by the news, and with good reason. From what I could gather, taking out this ranch had been one of their first achievements when this journey had been about Colette regenerating the world. The ranch had been destroyed, and if the Desians were being spotted in the area, then there was the chance it had been rebuilt while they had been in Tethe'alla, just as Neil had said.

"It'll be horrible if Palmacosta's human ranch is rebuilt." Colette remarked to our young leader with her fists clenched tightly at her sides.

"Yes. They'll attack the city again, and kill more innocent people." Lloyd nodded as his grip shifted almost nervously on the hilt of one of his swords, a grimace taking hold of his expression. His steps were becoming more determined by the minute while his eyes remained dead ahead, fixated on the destination.

"And…make more Exspheres." Genis practically deflated with his comment, the features of his young face stricken.

"Exsphere manufacture…I'd heard the stories, but…" I was almost surprised that none of them asked just where or how I had heard such stories. They had asked when we were in the Toize Valley Mine how I knew my way around, but I supposed they would not have expected me to know just what happened to the Exspheres in the mine once they were excavated. It had never been an issue to me either, until some time ago. "Human ranches are an abomination."

"Yeah. I don't want to see anymore people killed for the sake of Exspheres." The young swordsman retorted, hurrying to catch up with the others ahead of us. Genis and Colette were quick to follow. It seemed they all wanted to get there, to put a stop to the evil the Desians might have resurrected in the rubble that had been their previous ranch.

But I couldn't, for just a moment, get my feet to carry me. The weight of my burden, my sin, was all too much for me again. I had failed the woman I loved, through ignorance, blindness, and weakness. If that had not been enough within itself, I had then been the one to take her life. All of that, though, was connected to the Exspheres, the stones that seemed to do nothing but harm the people they came in contact with. "…Indeed. There must be no more victims like Alicia. Never again."

I had not even realized I had said anything until I saw Lloyd stop, turning abruptly. There was a moment where I was certain that he had heard me, that he would want to know what I had meant and draw the attention of the rest of our friends. I was sure that I would have to confess my deepest secrets, my thoughts, my fears, yet Lloyd merely gestured for me to follow. "Hey, Regal, come on."

My burden was still heavy, but it was the price I had to pay, wasn't it? Did I not deserve to remember my crime with every step I take no matter the destination or purpose? Shouldn't that be part of my penance? I did not have time to reflect on that yet, not when my companions needed me, but it was not as if I couldn't feel the weight still on my shoulders or the metal restraining my hands.

The people of Palmacosta had been unable to tell the difference between the Desians and the Renegades, so when we arrived at the site of the ruined ranch we came just as the leader of the Renegades, Yuan, had expected. It was then that he and Botta told us that they were not looking for a fight, but an alliance with us.

Their goal was to germinate the Great Seed which would then resurrect the Giant Kharlan tree that had been thought to be legend. Their plan was to fire a great deal of mana at the seed once it was no longer being protected by the powers of the Summon Spirits. It would seem they only needed us because Sheena is a summoner. But Lloyd was ready to trust him, especially after Yuan revealed he was in fact a double agent, working for both Cruxis and the Renegades. So the alliance was made.

Our first move was to infiltrate the Remote Island Human Ranch being run by Rodyle, for he was using it to construct a Mana Cannon that was vital to Yuan's plan. Botta, the second in command for the Renegades, took us there and warned us, or more pointedly Raine, not to destroy the ranch.

We made our way in, moving past all the security measures as quickly as we could. Botta and his men had already gone in, and no doubt they were fine, handling the mana reactor while we were set on finding Rodyle. I could see, even as we took care of numerous guards, that Presea had her jaw set. She was determined as much as she had to be furious. This was one of the men that had taken part of her life from her, tricked her into becoming an experiment. The heat behind her blue eyes was something I had not seen in her before, and I stayed close to her because of it.

It was with great effort we finally reached the highest level of the ranch, storming through the automatic doors with our weapons drawn in preparation for anything. To the right and up a small level of stairs stood Rodyle, who turned to meet us with an all too confident smirk on his lips.

"Well, I see the failed Chosen and her traveling band of fools are still alive. You're as stubborn as cockroaches." The Desian Cardinal stated dryly, his tone making it sound as if he was not at all threatened by our presence in his facility.

"You and Vharley…deceived me." Presea nearly hissed.

"Presea…" His eyes fell on her and I felt a slight shiver run down my spine at the void there. His gaze was not like the ax woman's when she'd been under the influence of her Exsphere, no, Rodyle's eyes were of one who had chosen to never feel anything close to what any would consider human. His were cold, desolate, and corrupt. "…I'd have treated you so much better had you made me a Cruxis Crystal in that little body of yours."

There was a flicker of anger that crossed her features, and even as she clenched a fist, it made it into her voice as well. "…Die!"

"Ahahahaha! Now, now, settle down. Have a look at the projector." The half elf chortled before pressing a few buttons on the computer at his side. An image flickered to life for us all to see as he stood there smugly. "I've got a special underwater show for you."

The image he'd brought up was of a lower level of the ranch where the prisoners we had freed on our venture were still making their escape. But now there was water in their path, and it was steadily rising. They backed away in fear, but it seemed they had nowhere to go.

"H…How can you do that!" Genis exclaimed, stunned by his cruelty.

"They'll all be killed!" Colette gasped clasping a hand over her mouth.

"…Damn you!" I ground out through my teeth. Had he no regard for the value of a life? Had he no shred of decency? He was going to kill innocent people, trapping them in a watery grave. We ran up the stairs, and I wanted nothing more than to knock him away from the computer so that we could save those people. Lloyd must have felt the same, as he was at the front of the group and nearly seething.

"You bastard! Stop the water, now!" the swordsman shouted clenching a fist and glaring daggers at the Grand Cardinal.

"It's too late." Rodyle remarked with a malicious edge to his voice. His eyes widened slightly when his words caused Lloyd to lunge at him, one sword out to slice into the half elf. But the Cardinal was too quick, jumping back to avoid injury. "I know why you've come here. I'm sure you intend to shut down my Mana Cannon. But you won't succeed. I've filled the corridor leading to the Mana Cannon with sea water!"

"You're going to kill all of those people at the ranch just to stop us!" the Chosen of Sylvarant cried out in horror.

"Who cares about the lives of pathetic, inferior beings! The Mana Cannon will be completed once I get the Cruxis Crystal." The Desian scoffed, waving off our outrage with his arrogance. "With Thor's Hammer in my possession, Yggdrasill and Cruxis will beg for mercy! Even that eyesore of a tower will fall before my cannon."

"What do you hope to accomplish by destroying the Tower of Salvation!" Lloyd demanded a bit surprise taking hold of his expression.

"Heheheh, that's nothing you lower life forms need to concern yourselves with." Rodyle sneered as he reached into his strange cloak pulling out a stone. "The Cruxis Crystal is finally mine! Now let's see. I think that I will test its power first by equipping it to myself."

Before anyone else could even think to move Rodyle pressed the stone to his skin. The mana surge to his body began to transform him before our eyes, misshaping him, mangling him, until he stood before us as a hulk of mangled green limbs. Even his face was unrecognizable, the exposed teeth glimmering with saliva between his pulled back lips, and his large unblinking red eyes shinning with malice.

He did not move very quickly due to his size which gave all of us time to spread out, to avoid the first swing of the blade on his wrist. Lloyd had jumped back, his twin swords sweeping low in a front of him to unleash a pair of shockwaves at the Cardinal. "Double Demon Fang!"

Rodyle staggered backwards with the hit before he then lumbered towards the swordsman, snarling, swinging his fist out to catch the boy in the chin. Lloyd tried to bring one of his blades up to block the oncoming blow, but he was a fraction too late, being tossed into the air. Fortunately he wasn't so dazed that he couldn't right himself in the air and land on his feet. From the corner of my eye, I could see that Raine had backed off to a safe distance to cast a spell a rune circle flaring to life beneath her feet, and Genis was in the process of doing the same thing. They would need more cover to be effective, so I charged forward, my glare meeting his blaring red one, before I felt my body pass through his as if I were immaterial giving me the chance to strike from behind. "Mirage!"

Leaping at his back, I threw out my right leg in a spinning jump kick and then sweeping it across his face twice before I pushed off of him. "Dragon Dance!"

A low growl escaped Rodyle as he lurched forward only to be struck in the side by an array of cards. Sheena spun where she stood, hitting him multiple times with her weapons. "Mirage Seal Pinion!"

Zelos rushed forwards, trying to catch the mutated Desian off guard as well as give the ninja time to move out of Rodyle's range, his blade slashing out before he leapt into the air launching three fireballs at his opponent in rapid succession. "Hell Pyre!"

"Insanity…Force…" The mangled words were choked out of the monstrosity that Rodyle had become, his strange hands holding his head. To his side, where Zelos and Sheena still stood, this huge circle of lightning began to crackle and spark, shocking them both. They cried out, trapped until it faded, and with that could have been a laugh, the Desian Cardinal lumbered towards where they were both kneeling, one of his huge hands raised above his head to come crashing down. They wouldn't have the chance to move, they didn't have time.

Pumping the muscles in my legs for all the speed I could muster, I place myself between them, raising up my right leg to guard against the blow. "Not a chance!"

"Help is on the way…" Raine's voice drifted over, her words sending a wave of relief over all of us followed by the healing energy she released with but a single word, green light flashing over each of us. "Nurse!"

"Drown!" Genis shouted, having completed his spell as well. "Spread!"

A geyser of water shot up under Rodyle actually tossing him into the air. Before he came tumbling down, Sheena, Zelos, and I had backpedaled to get ourselves to a safe distance, and not giving the Desian the chance to pull himself up, Presea rushed forward, planting her feet and spinning with her ax stretched out before her. "Finality Punishment!"

Crying out, the mutated Cardinal dug one of the blades he wore on his wrists into the floor to regain his footing, and through a snarl, I could make out the words Gravity Well. He was spellcasting!

Underneath Presea, a globe of energy rumbled around her, tossing her a bit before she braced her ax before her. "Earthly Protection!"

The green bubble of mana would reduce the damage, she would be all right, but even so I was worried. Leaping at Rodyle, I ducked underneath his thick arm as he swung it at me, then spinning on my left leg to deliver three powerful kicks to his chest with my right. "Triple Kick!"

Colette used the distraction I'd provided her to fly in, her chakrams clasped tight in both hands, and she spun around with her arms outstretched. "Ring Whirlwind!"

"Fool!" Rodyle hissed, slamming his fist into my side to throw me back. I landed on my back as he did the same to Colette, flinging her against the glass. "Pathetic…"

I climbed to my feet as best I could with my shackled wrists, standing just in time to see Lloyd spring at the Cardinal, somersaulting in the air with his swords slicing into the green flash of his enemy with each rapid rotation. "Omega Tempest!"

"We have to attack together." Sheena remarked as she glanced between Zelos and me. We nodded to her together, following her as she ran at the Grand Cardinal once again while he was still stunned from Lloyd's strike. The ninja struck him in the back with her cards, throwing out several before I could even blink. "Force Seal! Serpent Seal! Pyre Seal!"

The last of Sheena's attacks shoved Rodyle towards Zelos, to which the Chosen of Tethe'alla took advantage of, thrusting out his blade. "Hurricane Thrust!"

I ducked low for a sweeping kick, catching Rodyle in the knee before leaping into another spinning jump kick that connected with his jaw. "Dragon Rage!"

Presea had also jumped into the fray, her azure eyes alight with something dangerous as she slammed her ax down before where Rodyle was ready to collapse, the blade throwing up metal and debris from the floor causing the Cardinal to howl in pain. "Devastation!"

Gasping the Desian fell to the floor, a heap of mangled green limbs, twitching enough that none of the others put their weapons away. I stepped up behind the pink haired girl, worried for her, wondering what she was thinking now that she had brought down one of the men that had turned her into an experiment. When she turned her back on Rodyle, it was as if she didn't even know I was there, her gaze straight forward and once again empty.

"I cannot get my time back." The mumbled words were so quiet I doubted any of the others heard them.

All I could do for a moment was watch her. She had come so far seeking to avenge the terrible wrong done to her, she'd fought Rodyle in the name of revenge, and yet it could not bring her peace. There was nothing that could bring back what she had lost. The thought made me ache deep in my soul, for I, too, sought revenge, but in the end it would not give me peace, it would not bring back the woman I loved back or erase the sin that stained my hands. I was jarred from this reflection as Rodyle groaned and began to climb to his feet, the very flesh on his limbs deteriorating, melting away.

"Ugh…what's happening?... My…my body…my body is disintegrating!" That strange, animalistic voice rasped from the fumbling, gangly creature he had become. "Pronyma you tricked me!"

Rodyle then stumbled to the edge of the platform, jumping down and staggering over to a computer console in the middle of the floor. He pressed one button, snarling back at us maliciously, "But I won't die alone! I'm taking you all with me!"

He pressed one last button before his massive green body completely disintegrated. A second later, alarms began to blare around us, flashing red lights coming to life in warning. Raine gasped in horror, a hand covering her heart as her eyes swept over the group with worry. "No! He's activated the self-destruct system!"

Colette's eyes widened. "Botta warned us not to destroy this place!"

"Dammit! We have to stop it!" Lloyd grit his teeth, then taking off down the down the stairs to the lower level towards the computer counsel. The rest of us followed without a word, our eyes trained to the machine that would bring about this ranch's destruction in a matter of minutes.

Presea chewed her lip. "Impossible. The only one among us who can handle this machinery is Raine…"

"Most Tethe'allans don't really study the details of magitechnology very much." Zelos admitted nervously watching Raine look over the computer. Our hopes were resting on the Professor's shoulders, as she was, unfortunately, the only one that knew enough about the technology to stop the self-destruct system. She had a hand on her chin, her eyes scanning over every button and light, her very expression causing the red headed swordsman to shift nervously.

"Professor!" our young leader exclaimed impatiently.

"I know! But I can't do this myself!" Raine replied somewhat sharply, the pressure clearly getting to her.

Abruptly a hatch to our left, underneath the platform, hissed open allowing Botta and two other Renegades to enter. His dark eyes passed over us before he pointed to the open hatch. "We'll take over from here. The rest of you, go and escape through the hatch over there."

"Botta!" Lloyd breathed a small sigh of relief glad to see our new allies were still safe. "You're okay!"

The half elf's blank expression deepened to a frown upon the boy, his only display of his annoyance. "There'll be plenty of time for chit chat later. Leave, now. You'll only be in our way!"

While he understood the need for haste, the fact our situation was steadily growing worse by the minute, but Lloyd seemed somewhat hurt by being brushed off in such a way as he gestured for us to follow him out of the room. "…Okay."

The hatch took us down a small corridor and up a flight of stairs, bringing us out on the other side of the glass from where we had battled Rodyle. We could see as the hatch on the floor slid shut behind Lloyd and Genis, that Botta and his men had gone straight to the console, pressing sequences of buttons together. It was after a moment that water began to fill that room, quickly rising to their ankles, and my eyes widened. Rodyle had filled the path to the Mana Cannon with sea water and the Renegades needed that weapon, they were trying to preserve the cannon even as the ranch was being flooded.

"Oh no! We've got to open that door!" the crimson wearing swordsman gasped, scrambling over to the hatch with Genis, tugging at it to try to pry it open again. He grit his teeth, groaning, pulling at it with all of his might.

"It's no use!" Genis groaned even as they struggled once again. "Arrgh! It won't budge!"

"Move!" When they hurried out of my way, I ran up to the glass, putting all my strength behind a swift right kick. It shook the translucent barrier but didn't shatter it, so I followed it up with another and cursed when it brought about no result. I wasn't strong enough to help them, to get them free. The water was rising quickly, and they would drown if we didn't get them out, but the hatch was stuck and the glass was too strong.

Behind me Raine gasped loudly. "Botta did this on purpose. They knew the water was coming and locked it from the inside."

"Why would they do that!" Sylvarant's Chosen demanded sounding panicked.

"If the door opens, this area will be flooded as well." The Professor explained, her voice missing the usual calm it held, replaced by a note of guilt. "And as you can see, the ceiling is covered by a dome. There's nowhere for the water to escape.

"…They did it…to save us?" Presea murmured in disbelief.

"No! We have to do something!" Colette shouted.

"Dammit! Isn't there anything we can do!..." Lloyd growled in frustration.

Through an intercom that had to be in the room with the Renegades, Botta's voice crossed over to us. "We've stopped the self destruct system."

I heard Lloyd rush over to my side as at the same time, Botta and his men came up the stairs onto the platform, all of them looking at us as the water rose behind them. The swordsman pointed at the hatch as he shifted on the balls of his feet. "Botta! Open the door! If we destroy the dome overheard…"

"Our goal was to modify each ranch's mana reactor in order to fire mana at the Great Seed." Botta remarked with a small shake of his head at the boy's demands. I could see the resolve in his eyes, the fact he'd resigned himself to his fate. It was startling, shocking, and far too disturbing to know he was ready to die for this cause even if we had the chance of saving him. He wasn't going to give us this chance. "Now that we've finished reprogramming this control room, our mission is complete. We need you to get the message to Yuan that we have succeeded."

Violently, Lloyd shook his head. "Tell him yourself! Open the door, now!"

"We pray for your success regenerating the world." Botta told him in that same, all too calm voice. He was truly set in what was about to happen, as if he had not even considered we might be able to save him. "Please see to it that Martel is finally allowed her eternal sleep, for Yuan's sake as well."

A large door came down, blocking the window, concealing Botta and the two Renegades' last moments. We all had an idea of what was happening, and it was probably better that we could not see it. Lloyd hung his head in defeat.

"No!" Colette gasped.

"Man…" Zelos whispered. A silence followed, as if in respect for the men who had just lost their lives to give us the chance to escape the same fate.

"Everyone, behind you!" Presea's voice, strung with a hint of worry, broke through the air, and I instantly turned, as did several of the others. Two large cages on the wall were opening, and once the bars had retracted, winged dragons swooped out, three of them hovering closer and closer to our group. The beasts had their jaws hanging open exposing their dripping fangs that added to their already menacing appearances.

Lloyd gasped next to me, his hands reaching for the hilts of his swords. "Wh…what are those things!"

"They look like transport dragons." Raine remarked as she pulled out her new Holy Staff once again. Her blue eyes were scanning over the creatures, assessing them. The Professor, according to Lloyd, had started a list of the monsters they had encountered at the beginning of their journey of Regeneration, and ever since she'd been adding to it. That meant she knew these monsters, and she was recalling how to defeat them. "Their cages must have opened when the self-destruct system was activated."

"Look out! Here they come!" I exclaimed as one of the dragons went into a dive, headed right for where Presea stood.

"Dammit!" the crimson clad swordsman cursed as he charged forward swords drawn. He was followed closely by Sheena and Zelos who had not hesitated to rush after him, while Genis and Raine had not moved other than to begin incantations for spells. I glanced to Presea, who nodded to me. The two of us understood that it would probably be better if at least a few of us stayed back to keep the dragons from reaching not only our healer, but the young mage who could deliver very serious damage if he was given adequate time. Colette, in a sudden change of strategy, had released her wings, but not to hurry into battle, but to begin an incantation of her own, this one to utilize her angelic abilities.

Yet even though the first few dragons were brought down in the fury of Zelos and Lloyd's combined sword techniques while they were already stunned from the powerful spells Colette and Genis unleashed, more emerged from their cages. It was nearly a swarm of them, and while we continued to fight, it would seem we were likely to tire before the all of the beasts were taken down. We wouldn't last this way, even with the Professor's healing magic.

"There are too many of them!" Sheena yelled as she kept a tight grip on her cards, watching the creatures warily.

"Damn, they're tough!" Lloyd breathed out as he glanced up at the dragons and then at the rest of us. He, too, knew that even with our combined skills we wouldn't last against dozens of these monsters one after another. It was their numbers that was giving them strength.

Colette met the young swordsman's gaze, appearing panicked. "If we lose, we'll never be able to pass on Botta's message."

An expression of realization crossed over Genis' face, and he reached into his pocket, pulling out the panpipe that his new friend had given him. "…Mithos!"

He played the instrument, just as the blonde half elf had instructed him to do if he were in danger. At the time I hadn't thought much of it, what could the simple little instrument do to save our lives? There was little chance that the sound of it would calm the dragons, so I didn't see what help it could actually be, but only a later, a bolt of light burst through the dome and down upon the nearest winged dragon. It shrieked in agony before it crumpled to the floor in death.

"Wh…what was that!" Lloyd demanded in confusion as yet another bolt of light came down, striking another dragon. More followed until the dragons that had already ventured out of the cage were lying on the metallic floor, bleeding and unmoving. It was so strange. What could be happening? What were those bolts of light? Where were they coming from? Just who or what had come to our rescue?

Genis looked up only a second before the rest of our gazes followed. "Was that a Summon Spirit?"

"Genis! Raine! Everybody!" The voice that called down to us sounded like Mithos. But how had the boy left Palmacosta or even heard the panpipe that he'd given Genis? What was going on?

"That's Mithos' voice!" Genis exclaimed in shock.

"Please, get on these Rheairds!" the blonde boy shouted frantically.

Raine was her usual calm self, dismissing her own curiosity in the heat of the moment and waving her hand at all of us to follow her. "Let's worry about the how and why later."

Lloyd nodded. "All right."

The Renegades had loaned Mithos the Rheairds he'd used to rescue us, which explained how he'd gotten to the Remote Island Human Ranch, but even he could not explain the presence of the golden bird that had slain the dragons. Sheena and Raine were under the impression that it could only have been Aska that had responded to the panpipe Genis had played. While the events of our rescue were strange and still questionable, we couldn't take time to reflect on it yet. After speaking with Neil in Palmacosta and discovered that the panpipe had somehow been broken, we headed over to the Renegade base near Triet to return the vehicles and deliver Botta's message.

Yuan had seemed to know just by our expression when we entered his office, after leaving Mithos to wait outside, that Botta had not survived to the mission. It upset Lloyd that the blue haired half elf's next response was to tell us that we could now travel between the two worlds on the Rheairds. Zelos and I were both of the opinion though, that Lloyd's anger was misplaced because Yuan had to have known Botta longer and better than any of us, so it was not our place to speak. That and perhaps the Renegades were always braced for such occurrences as their enemy was very well organized and powerful.

As we left the base, it was suggested we return Mithos to Altessa's. He seemed eager to be brought back to a familiar place. The feeling of being displaced though as we traveled from Sylvarant to Tethe'alla was strange enough that I was not looking forward to having to do it again.

When he reached the dwarf's home outside of Ozette, Mithos started up the slope first even though Genis had just given him a disappointed look. Lloyd waved at the blonde boy when the young half elf turned back to say goodbye just at the top of the small hill. "Well, Mithos, have a good time at Altessa's."

His blue eyes again fell on Genis. "You'll come visit me, right?"

The small mage nodded enthusiastically. "Of course!"

"Take care." Lloyd said with a warm grin.

Mithos then turned to Presea, sympathy flickering in his gaze. His words were then spoken softly. "I'll be praying for your success in avenging your sister."

I could tell by the way Presea blinked twice rapidly at that, that even though her expression still remained relatively blank, that she was surprised by what Mithos had said. "…Thank you."

While she was surprised, I was coming to grips with my own confusion. What were they talking about? Presea had said she had a younger sister, and that that sister had left to go into the service of a noble. What had happened to her then? When had Presea, or even Mithos, discovered what had happened to the ax woman's sister? "Avenging Presea's sister? What are you talking about?"

To my left, I noticed Zelos' eyes widen as his head whipped between Presea and me, as if he were nervous about something.

Lloyd snapped his fingers when realization hit him. "Oh, that's right. We haven't told Regal about it."

"Ahh!" the Chosen of Tethe'alla gasped to grab the group's attention. Why did he appear so tense? What was going on, and why did it seem that Zelos was trying to evade the discussion. "Um…hey, you know, that's not a topic we really need to drag out now, right?"

Whirling on his heels to put Zelos under his angry stare, Genis clenched his fists at his sides. "What are you talking about, Zelos! This is important! Presea's sister was killed!"

Stunned, I stood stock still. My mind was reeling. I'd never asked what had happened in Altamira when they had gone in without me, and that was the only time I could think of that I'd been away form the group and Mithos had been with them. I felt a chill run through me. Hadn't I already established that Presea merely looked too much like my beloved out of pure coincidence? Then why was I suddenly being overwhelmed by dread? "Killed?"

"Yes. It seems Presea's younger sister served under a noble named Bryant." Colette explained with her hands clasped in front of her, a note of sadness to her tone. "…But then, her master Bryant…"

My heart nearly stopped at the sound of my surname. It couldn't be, it just wasn't possible! Or was it? Presea did not have an older sister, but she had a younger one. How could she possibly be related to Alicia? Yet Colette had said that Presea's sister had served a 'master Bryant'…and there was no one else with that name.

"He's a monster!" She exclaimed heatedly. "How can he kill a child like that!"

My head was whirling as my heart pumped faster than it ever had before. I thought if I didn't take a deep breath that it would burst, but my lungs continued to betray me, refusing to take in enough air to calm me. Yet my voice was steady, although holding a note of shock, when I murmured in spite of myself, "Sister? It can't be! Presea, what was your sister's name?"

During this conversation, Presea had been watching me every other moment. She was probably trying to assess my reaction to this, and I was probably moments away form crumbling under her gaze. "…Alicia…"

Everything stopped, slamming to a halt that knocked my world off its axis.

_Goddess, it was me…_

_Alicia…I took Alicia from her sister…_

How could I have been so blind? They looked so alike, of course they were family. What Sheena had said was right, I was a monster. I'd taken Preesa's younger sister from her. I'd wanted so badly to believe that that wasn't true, that I had never considered that Presea hadn't aged in the time she'd been under her Exsphere's control. When the young ax woman had said she only had a younger sister, I had just been happy with the relief that brought and blind to the truth. "…I see."

Lloyd was looking at me curiously, having been watching me as well, with his head tilted to the side. "Do you know something about this?"

While I didn't want to lie, I didn't want to let go of their friendship just yet, as selfish as that was. That, and it was about time that I went home. "I may know who that murderer might be."

Presea's eyes flashed and it made my stomach twist. "…Really?"

As much as it made my insides have, I knew I could not hide this. Presea deserved the truth, and I deserved whatever scorn they would hold for me afterwards. "…Take me to Altamira."

"Lloyd…?" the pink haired girl was asking him with merely one word, with his name, if we could depart for the resort town. She wanted to go, she needed to go, even though she couldn't seem to voice it or show it on her still young features. My heart ached for her. I could never give her back her sister, I could never make up for the loss she now suffered, and I would never be able to earn her forgiveness.

Our young leader nodded to her without hesitation. "I promised that I would help you find your sister's killer, Presea. Let's get moving to Altamira."

Zelos was chewing his lips when Presea started past him for where we'd had left our Rheairds. She was followed by Genis, Sheena, Colette, and Raine right away. The red headed Chosen sighed, shook his head, and then hurried after them. Even in the downward spiral of my thoughts I finally understood why Zelos had been so nervous, still was nervous.

He knew. He already knew and he'd probably known since they had left Altamira. But he hadn't said anything. Zelos had even seemed to want to steer away from the subject a few minutes ago. Had he been trying to protect me?

Lloyd had strolled over to me, putting a hand on my arm which shattered my train of though, centering me back in the moment. When he started to follow the group, I instantly fell in step with him. The way he was looking at me, it hadn't changed when he learned of my crime, but how could it be the same when he knew that I had been the one to murder Presea's sister?

"This will really help Presea." He told me softly just before we rejoined the group. "Thanks."

"…" I doubted he would say that when all was said and done.

_For Sanji to insist she take her break so suddenly seemed odd. Even if most of the guests had already picked through most of the food already set out, there was still plenty for them to do in the hotel's kitchen to be sure the Lezareno office party was a success. But the chef had been peeking through the swinging doors just before he stopped her from continuing to chop vegetables, pushing her towards the rear exit of the kitchen, saying that she needed to take some time to relax. He insisted that she go, and as not to cause any disturbance for the celebrating Lezareno employees, she could head to the upper floor, maybe check out the view._

_Before now, Alicia had never really been anywhere near the Altamira hotel, she'd never really had any need to go there. The only reason she was there now was that she was part of the staff cooking for the party, which had been all right with her considering that Regal, as company president had to attend, and that meant she wouldn't have been able to see him if she was working the party or not. With a small sigh, she stepped off the elevator wondering what the Duke might be doing downstairs at the party._

_Down the hall from the lift on the fifth floor was a terrace that faced the beautiful shoreline that the resort town was so well known for. Sanji had said that the view would be perfect there. Alicia couldn't help but wonder what the chef might be up to, as he'd had that knowing grin plastered on his face as he'd shoved her away from her work. In all honesty, she was nervous to find out, even as she walked closer to the open glass doors leading out onto the balcony. She thought it was strange that the doors had been left open, until she spotted a figure already on the terrace, leaning on the railing, staring out at the sea._

"_Master Regal?"_ _Alicia whispered in surprise. He wouldn't have had to turn around, she already knew it was him, but he had turned a bit shocked as well. When they slipped out of the mansion at night, whether to go to the dojo or to just spend time alone together, Regal had stopped dressing like the Duke or Company president that he was for everyone else, preferring to dress casual. He didn't tie or slick back his hair for their dates, for he knew she preferred it loose, and she knew he hated to do it anyway. So she was not entirely surprised to find that he had taken off the black jacket of his suit, had loosened his maroon tie to the point that it was barely hanging on, and the cuffs and collar of his white button up shirt had been undone. He hadn't done anything to mess up his neat, proper hair, but that might have been because he would need to go back out through the crowded party to leave. It always made her laugh to think that he seemed to look so dashing in all of his suits no matter how uncomfortable he was in them._

"_Alicia? What are you doing here?" the Duke asked with a warm smile, casting a quick glance from side to side to assess if they were alone. _

"_Sanji sent me on my break." She told him even as he leaned down capturing her lips in a heated kiss. From what he could see they had enough privacy that he could wrap an arm around her waist as well. Once Regal drew back for air, she could help but giggle. "What are you doing up here, though? This party is for your company!"_

"_I'll have to thank Sanji for his meddling ways one of these days. It's not exactly a secret that I am not a fan of gatherings like this, I merely show up for appearances and to talk to a select few mostly. He must have seen me slip out a few minutes ago and thought to send you up here." The nobleman commented with his grin gradually becoming a smirk. With a sigh of contentment he snaked both arms around her waist to bring her even closer, then practically purring in her ear, "I missed you."_

"_Master, you saw me this afternoon in your office. We were only apart for a few hours." Alicia chided playfully, gazing up into the depths of his azure eyes, eyes that always drew her in and captivated her down to her very soul, and again she couldn't contain a little laugh. "I don't see how you could have missed me."_

"_It does not matter how long we are apart, I miss you when you are not there with me." He rasped in her ear. Again the Duke kissed her, needing the contact, needing to feel her lips against his._

"_Whatever I did to deserve a man as sweet as you, I'm glad I did it." Alicia rasped as she traced one finger down his well built chest until it became hooked on his very loose tie. This was not something they normally would have done, they usually met to sneak out of the mansion under the cover of night, and while it was well into the evening hours with the moon shinning high above them, neither one of them were supposed to be on that terrace, and they especially not supposed to be on that terrace together. But he seemed so happy to see her, had said that he'd missed her, and she would have honestly missed him as well if Sanji hadn't meddled once again. "But shouldn't you be downstairs? Won't someone come looking for you?"_

"_No one usually comes to fetch me if I steal away for an hour or two." He assured her with a bit of that playful smirk seeping into his expression. "I've made my appearances, talked with both the employees and the clients that were invited as well, but I don't think I could endure any more of their trivial gossip."_

_She was still playing with his tie keeping their gazes locked. "What kind of things are they talking about?"_

"_Mostly how Countess Sophia has married a man thirty years younger than her and how much of a scandal it's causing." Regal did his best not to roll his eyes. If there was anything he could not stand about some of Lezareno's more prestigious clients it was the gossip they brought to the office parties. It did not matter how prosperous a year the company had had, at these annual gatherings his clients always wanted to talk about nothing but the latest gossip straight from the Royal Court. "If anyone wanted to discuss business tonight I might not have felt the need to escape, but all everyone talks about gossip and rumors!"_

"_Is it that bad?" She tilted her head to the side, wrapping her arms around his neck once more to be closer to him._

"_Well, it would even seem there's been word going around that there's a mysterious young woman I've been seen entertaining in Altamira." The Duke told her, the playfulness from before fading into a serious tone. "It's spread quite far now, and I've been getting numerous questions all night on just which young lady I could be courting."_

"_Oh, Regal, I'm--" she started, but he put a finger to her lips effectively cutting her off so she could only blink in confusion at him. Wasn't he upset that word of mouth was getting him hounded even at a simple office party?_

"_Alicia, don't even think of apologizing, it's not your fault." The tenderness of his voice made her blush more than the thought of strangers interrogating him for information about her. The hand that had silenced her then gripped her chin gently and he leaned his face closer with a warm smile. "How many times have I told you that I don't care who knows how I feel about you? When will you hear me when I tell you that I would not care what could come of revealing our relationship?"_

"_I know that you wouldn't care, I just couldn't do that to you, Regal." She replied with a sigh, unable to look anywhere but into the depths of his azure orbs. Alicia really didn't know what she had done to deserve the Duke, as even though he was the one that had everything to lose if something happened once their relationship was out in the open he did not even give thought to it. She was the one that was nervous; she was the one who thought it better to keep it a secret. And Regal was unbelievably remarkable in that he had agreed to those terms just for her, just to put her at ease. "You don't deserve to have people look at you differently just because of me."_

"_How they look at me means nothing, Alicia. The only thing that matters is how I feel for you, you know that." He was smiling again, the hand that had gripped her chin now absent mindedly running fingertips over her cheek. The young Duke had never been concerned with appearances, already having been tested for his merit in both his business and his place in court because of the age he'd come into those positions. He'd learned early on that the only opinions that should matter came from those you cared for, those you trusted. "Besides, no one has recognized you; no one knows you are the mysterious woman I've been courting, so our secret is safe. Besides, the rumor mill will find another topic in a few days, it always does."_

_Alicia sighed softly allowing herself to finally melt into his embrace. She hated that they had to hide their relationship, just as much as she hated how she worried about their chances of being caught, but she cared for the Duke deeply. With all of the attention he already received with his titles, noble name, and company, she feared what sort of publicity he would get if anyone knew of their relationship. And although she knew that Regal understood her concerns as well as that he respected them, she knew that it hurt him to have to hide another aspect of his life. For the pain her insecurities caused him, she would never forgive herself._

_The silence that started to stretch between them was comfortable, as they hardly had the chance to just be together without the fear of being caught. Regal was content to just hold her, to just have the opportunity to be close to Alicia, and he closed his eyes resting his chin on the top of her head. He could have said more to convince her that there was no more need to keep their love secret, he could have pushed the discussion further, but as much as he wanted to reveal their relationship he knew that it would hurt her._

_Once the world knew that Duke Bryant was in love with one of his servants, all of Tethe'alla would have eyes on Alicia. She would be dragged into the spotlight, overwhelmed by how she was suddenly being watched at every waking moment. Certainly the same would happen to him, for he would face the same unwanted attention, but he had already experienced what it was like to be pestered by the intent focus of the public. His beloved had never known such scrutiny from strangers who meant to judge and measure her by word of mouth, and Regal did not think he could put her through that._

_She had rested her head on his left shoulder, facing out at the view Sanji had insisted she see. With the moon beaming down upon the waves that reached out for what could have been forever, the horizon appeared almost celestial. That, combined with the lights of the resort town shimmering below them, caused Alicia to admit that the view was very beautiful. But she doubted that she would have enjoyed it if the Duke had not been there with her._

"_Do you think Sanji will cover for me if I stay a while longer?" She had lost track of time from the moment she'd spotted him on the balcony. That often happened when she was with Regal, for everything else always began to fade into the background and there was only the nobleman who held her heart left._

_He chuckled softly at the innocent question. "If I know Sanji, he never expected you back when he sent you up here."_

_Alicia giggled nuzzling closer to the Duke, one of her hands idly toying with some of the blue locks he had tied back so neatly. She had only asked because she did not think that if the time came she could actually pull away from him and go back to work. As strong as her work ethic was, it paled in comparison to her want to remain in the embrace of her employer. After what could have been a thoughtful pause, she could not resist inquiring curiously, "Do you ever wonder why Sanji thought to bring us together?"_

"_No." His initial answer surprised her, but then he kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear, causing her to blush. "I don't feel the need to question his instincts because it was those instincts that led me to the love of my life." _

To be continued

**End notes: **When I started this story, I knew the confession scene on the terrace would be the big scene for me. I have been looking forward to it, and have actually already started writing it out by hand since work was slow one day. Hopefully, I'll get it out soon before my new classes bog me down with homework.


	7. Seven

**Title:** On my Honor

**Author:** Yamato795

**Pairing:** Lots of mentions of RegalxAlicia, but no other ones planned at the moment…

**Rating:** Let's go PG-13 to be safe, since they do swear in the game, and the violence.

**Status:** Chapter 7 out of ? parts. Lots planned, but a number is not clear just yet.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Tales of Symphonia. Please don't sue me.

**Spoilers:** A TON, mostly for Regal. I'd say this story is better suited for those who have beaten the game if you ask me. Read at your own risk of spoiling anything. Since it starts where Regal comes in, it should spoil quite a bit of the game after that, don't you think?

**Summary:** Take a look through Regal's eyes as well as a look into his past.

**Author notes: **I still can't believe that I have come this far. I suppose I should thank the fact that work was extremely slow this week or I wouldn't have gotten this done. At least there was less of a wait for this chapter. I suppose I should warn that there are some more adult themes in the beginning of this chapter, but it's all a bit suggestive if nothing else. Nothing that bad. Thanks to Christie especially for the encouragement, and Marika for the support! Enjoy!

On my Honor

Chapter seven

_There was something thrilling about running through the estate's gardens late at night in the rain, clutching to Regal's hand, wanting to laugh loudly at just the sheer bliss of it all but having to hold it in. They couldn't get caught like this, she knew that. Alicia treasured every night that they managed to slip in and out of the Bryant mansion, and would not risk their ventures for one whoop of joy in the rain. But she still loved the warmth of his hand gripping hers, pulling her along, and the way he would look over his shoulder with a broad smile as if compelled to make sure she was still trying to keep up with him, even if it was something she had to bury deep inside to keep it secret._

_Now if only it hadn't started raining._

_If it hadn't been down pouring they would still be at the beach. He'd taken her to watch the sunset, just wanted to spend a quiet evening with her. Only as soon as the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon and they had lost track of how long they remained, clouds began to litter the sky, and rain had not been far behind. _

_By the time they had managed to make it under the overhang of the south exit of the mansion they were already drenched. She realized that they probably would not have returned to the estate for a few more hours if it had not been for the sudden change of weather, but her disappointment faded the instant Regal drew her back into his strong arms from behind whispering in her ear, "We don't have to call it a night just yet, Alicia."_

_Instinctively she relaxed against him, wondering how he could still radiate so much warmth when he was soaked. "Oh?"_

"_Well…" He turned her in his embrace, his eyes meeting hers with a bit of reluctance, one of his hands going up to cup her cheek tenderly. Even in the dark she saw the small tint of pink rising into his face, and his voice was barely above a whisper now. "We could always head up to my room…I could light the fire…it would give us a chance to warm up…"_

_He was asking her back to his room! No wonder he was blushing! Although they had been seeing each other in secret for quite some time, they had never discussed anything of this nature. Alicia felt her heart skip a beat as her breath caught in her throat. If it had been anyone else she would have refused, she would have hesitated, but this was the man she had lost her heart to nearly eight years ago. This was the man who shared his secrets with her, the man who had let her into his life without asking anything in return, and this was the man that was so absolutely wonderful to her that she didn't pause for a moment. "I'd love that."_

_He could have asked her outright, she still would have said yes._

_But Alicia supposed she could play along with the nobleman's game. He wasn't trying to be sneaky; he was just nervous and didn't want to seem that he was pressuring her into this. The Duke was raised a gentleman, she knew that well, so she knew he would never try to trick her to follow him up to his chambers. She could see deep in his gaze that Regal just hadn't known how to ask her. What had she done to deserve a man that was so incredibly sweet? She knew she would always remember the way her beloved's azure eyes lit up after her response, as well as the tender kiss he gave her._

_It was routine to slip back into the enormous house silently, still holding hands, but normally he would have escorted her back to her room before heading to the second floor and the location of the master bedroom. The Duke still led the way, yet now he was glancing over his shoulder more often, expecting her to disappear before they reached the large oak doors that would offer them shelter from prying eyes of anyone awake. Alicia squeezed his hand several times in an attempt to reassure him that she was not going anywhere, not without him._

_Once in his room, the doors locked just in case, he released her to make his way over to the fire place, lighting it with what could have been practiced ease for a noble who usually had to let his servants take care of everything for him. With the light of the fire now at his back, he was surprised to find she'd moved to stand only a few feet from him, an almost sly grin across her lips. _

_Regal had never done this before. He'd never been in love before. He didn't know what move to make to get her to understand how much he needed this as well as how much he wanted it. His steps towards her were cautious, waiting for her to change her mind, waiting for her to vanish back out those doors. But she didn't move. She merely watched him with that playful expression, urging him forward silently. For a moment, the young noble shed his nervousness to commit how she looked to memory, wanting to cherish how beautiful Alicia looked with her pink wet hair spilling out of her pigtails and her uniform clinging to her slender frame._

_It wasn't until he was within her reach that Alicia grabbed the front of his black shirt, jerking him forward so that she could kiss him almost roughly. He made no protest, allowing her to be the one bold enough to finally initiate contact, wrapping his arms around her waist to press their bodies flush together. The only reason she pulled her mouth from his was to fill her lungs, and even that was only so she could whisper, "I want you, Master Regal."_

_He gave her an odd look for that. "I'm not sure you should call me that now…"_

_She knew how much he hated the formalities of his titles, and she knew how much he missed being called just his name, but she couldn't help herself. Smirking, she traced her fingers over his well-defined chest teasingly. "Why not?"_

_The blush that rose to his cheeks was her reward. Even though he was protesting how she was using his name, he was still leading her over to the large bed, the firelight spilling over the silky sheets in waves. His fingers were running through her hair pulling it loose from the nearly undone pigtails while his azure orbs were searching hers. Did he expect to see doubt still? Did he expect her to change her mind? Then he ran his lips along the curve of her neck. "Do you want that? For me to always be your master? Even now?"_

_Taking hold of his chin, she brought him back up for another kiss. "Especially now."_

_He was easing her back onto the mattress, contemplating how to get her to drop this new little game of hers. Normally, he would have done anything to make Alicia happy; it was just that he wanted their first time to be romantic. They had all the time in the world for games after. Finally, he thought of something that he not only needed to say, but that might get her to forget all of his pesky titles for the night. "I love you, Alicia."_

"_I love you too, Master." She giggled, and he had to fight the urge to groan._

Lloyd was the only one that walked beside me as we neared the gates of Altamira, the others only a few steps behind us. Not much had been said, either during the fight or shortly after we landed outside the city. Perhaps the suspense I so selfishly held them in was what was keeping them all quiet, or perhaps, like Zelos, they had all had their suspicions about me as well and now they had truly been brought into proper light.

Dread tightening every single muscle in my body, I glanced to meet Lloyd's gaze just as we started through the gates. I hadn't stepped foot in the city I called home in many long years, and that lead to the fact that while I'd made arrangements for Alicia's burial just as I'd been imprisoned, I had never visited her grave. "…Where did you hear about Alicia?"

"At Alicia's grave, in the sky terrace of a company called Lezareno." The swordsman told me as our friends sped up a bit to close the gap between us.

So that was where she'd been laid to rest. The only thing I had specified for a location for her burial sight was that it be within Altamira. I suppose I had assumed George would have her laid to rest in the small lot that my parents were buried in, but on the terrace was sort of fitting. "…I see. Let's go there, then."

The dread only coiled with each step I took toward the Elemental Railway, and I did my best to keep my eyes from drifting over to Presea. I was beginning to think that I would never be able to look her in the eyes again. All of this time I had been a fool. All of the pieces that made me up the connection between myself and this girl form Ozette had been there and I had just been too engulfed in my own desire to be accepted and wanted again that I'd practically ignored them.

I winced as the car taking us into the Lezareno building came to a stop in the lobby. The others filed off quickly, and my feet had practically been dragging until I heard Lloyd gasp loudly. "Wh…whoa! What happened?"

My attention finally rested only on my surroundings as I forced my legs to carry me over to where the brunette swordsman stood. The lobby was empty, save one man, a security guard that was lying on the floor struggling to get up in spite that he was injured. I saw his eyes flash with recognition when I approached his side. "What's going on?"

Weakly, the guard managed to rasp out, "The Exsphere Broker, Vharley…went inside…"

As the man fell into unconsciousness' comforting grasp, Presea's eyes flared at the name of the man that had deceived her. "Vharley…! He must pay…"

"…Ugh!" I growled through my grit teeth, my hands already balled into his fists. What was that piece of filth that claimed to be a man doing here _now_? He had the gall to break into my company after all he had done and even go next Alicia's grave? Anger pushed back the dread, my muscles tight, but not from the same tension as before. Now they were ready for action.

"Let's go on in." Colette said biting her lip as she glanced towards the elevator warily; contemplating what awaited us on the upper floors.

Setting my jaw I stepped into the lift with the others, doing my best to contain the stir of fury that flared in me at just the thought of Vharley being near. That man did not deserve the freedom he abused, he had hurt so many, and I would make him regret stepping foot inside this building.

This was not what I expected when we ventured here, but until the Exsphere Broker was dealt with my confession would have to wait. They needed to hear this from me. Vharely would probably jump at the chance to put his own spin on what I had to tell them.

I was the first to step off the elevator once the metal gates opened, the voices drawing me toward the fountain before I even spotted George, who had been cornered by Vharley near what I could only guess was Alicia's grave as my old servant blocked it mostly from view.

Vharley took a menacing step towards George, unaware of our presence. "Tell me the password to the inner area of the Toize Valley Mine! Now!"

The elder man held up his hands as if in surrender, his body actually shaking while his tone came out firm. "…I don't know anything about it."

"Wrong answer!" the practically fuming Vharley ground out as he moved to take another step towards George. He had tried getting into the mines again, and again the security measures I'd had put in place over eight years ago still kept him at bay.

"…How about _I_ tell you instead?" I knew my friends were watching me, they were probably confused by the fact I'd spoken up, but I still moved forward leaving only a few feet between myself and the man I despised and wanted to bring to justice.

"Master Regal!" George sounded stunned as he glanced me over, relief quickly lining his wrinkled face. "What are you doing here?"

Vharley turned to face me slowly, his lips stretching into a sneer that made me dig my fingernails into my palms to keep from attacking him. His dark eyes danced mockingly as he, too, looked me over, snorting as if he was unimpressed with my sudden appearance. "…So the president himself decided to pay a visit. Perfect."

"President?" Lloyd echoed in bewilderment behind me.

"The route to the Toize Valley Mine opens by my voice print and cornea scan." I would have to explain myself to the other later. I could tell them everything once the balding Exsphere Broker was taken care of. "Forcing it open would undoubtedly cause the Exsphere mine are to collapse."

"Is that so? In that case, Regal, you're just going to have to _come open it for us_!" Vharley snapped with a venom filled stare. He practically growled in my face, reduced to a snarling beast by frustration, clenching a fist. The breaths he took in were rapid, fueling the fact his body was practically rigid as his gaze was locked with mine. "I'm going to be out of business soon if I don't get my hands on some more Exspheres!"

"That's enough." Presea remarked sharply from off to my side. "I cannot forgive you for killing an innocent person."

Just as I began to wonder if Presea knew that Vharley had had a hand in Alicia's death or if she actually thought him to be the killer, when a puff of smoke burst on the path to the side of the fountain. In its wake then stood the ninja with a hard glare we had clashed with at the Other Worldly Gate, Kuchinawa.

"Kuchinawa!" Sheena gasped. "You're working with this guy?"

"Soon, the King will die and the Pope will take over." Vharley sneered at me with an arrogant air about him, one that spoke of the fact he was certain no one could stop him now. "And when that happens, I will grind your pathetic Lezareno Company into the ground!"

As if on cue, Kuchinawa sprang forward, and he was only between Vharley and me for an instant before he threw another smoke bomb to the ground. Caught off guard, I was too late to stop them, all of us were. I was left with nothing else to distract the group from what I'd brought them there to tell them. Plus with what had just happened, I owed them even more of an explanation than before.

I stepped a bit closer to George, trying to see if he was hurt while at the same time placing myself even more so in front of the group as if I were on display for what would come next. "Are you all right, George?"

The older man had never appeared more relieved as one of his hands raised to cover his probably pounding heart. "Yes, Master Regal. Thank you."

It was only for a second after that that I hesitated. Through my entire part in their journey I had strived not to lie to any of them. While I had succeeded in that, I had also kept things from them, some out of shame, and others out of the selfish need to stay with them to seek the answers I needed. After a deep breath, I turned back to my companions, placing my fate in their hands with the next words I uttered. "My name is Regal Bryant. I was granted the title of Duke by his Highness, and also the President of the Lezareno Company. Although it would seem that the Chosen already knows me."

Zelos grinned, smug at having figured it out. "I saw you at one of the Princess' birthday parties."

"Oh yeah…" Sheena commented as she gave a sidelong glance to the red headed swordsman with a bit of a smirk curling her lips. "I'd forgotten this guy's actually a member of high society, too."

Meeting her gaze, the Chosen let out a sarcastic laugh. "Heheheh."

Raine's expression fell when it finally came together for her, and she almost seemed hesitant to speak. "Then Alicia's killer, Bryant is…"

Colette's eyes widened before she shook her head, her hands clasped before her so tight I could see her knuckles were white. The hesitation in her voice made her sound hurt, betrayed. I'd done that to her. "W...wait, it can't be…Regal…"

Trying not to flinch at how she wished to deny it, I turned around, not because I couldn't endure their stares, but because I needed to see the grave and speak with the woman I loved even if she couldn't hear me. Yet something caught my eye when my gaze fell upon the stone engraved with her name, a stone that glimmered in the afternoon sunlight. An Exosphere? George had _kept_ and put it _here_? "Alicia!"

There was a flicker of light around the stone just before she appeared. Her body was see through, ghost like, but she was still the Alicia that I remembered, the woman that still held my heart. I didn't understand how it was possible, I didn't really care, she was _there_. Alicia was in front of me even though she had died.

Yet didn't that mean she had been here the whole time? For eight years, had she been trapped in that stone? But…she was smiling at me. She looked happy to see me, like she always had when I'd finally returned from Meltokio or a business trip. "Master, I'm so happy to see you again before I disappear…"

_Disappear…no…_

"I'm sorry." What else could I say to her? Again I pressed my fingernails into my palms, close to breaking the skin. "Even after death, you still suffer…"

_Because of me…this is my fault…_

_How can you still look at me that way?_

"It's all right. It's not your fault." Alicia insisted gently. Her voice was something I'd longed to hear every day for eight horrible, lonely years, and even though she seemed to just be a shadow of her former self, she sounded just the same. I wanted so badly to reach out and touch her, but I was sure my hands would pass right through her, and what right did my shackled hands have to ever touch her again even if it was possible?

Presea had come forward, nearly at my side now. "Alicia…what do you mean?"

Gazing into the eyes of the woman I loved, I could only give one explanation as to what had caused all of this, the reason that my beloved had died. It was only fitting that I start at the beginning anyway. "Alicia and I were in love."

There had been a small stretch of silence were the others waited, their curiosity nearly tangible the air that hung around me. George spoke before I could find the words to. "Then, I, his servant, interfered…and forced them apart."

"Alicia was handed over to Vharley." My throat had gone dry as my hands clenched even tighter. How could I be so calm? Why could I say these things and not break down in front of them? She was watching me, I saw her expression soften, which caused my heart to cringe at the fact she could even meet my gaze after what I'd done. "He wanted to use her in an Exsphere experiment."

"Was he…" Colette's voice made me turn to the side, for just a moment, to meet her question as best I could. "…trying to create Cruxis Crystals?"

"It seems so. But the experiment failed." I told her with a small nod before I slowly turned back to the see through image of Alicia, the phantom that I had longed to see but didn't think I would ever have the chance to again. It was time that I told our story to the people I had befriended, and the sister of the woman I had murdered.

_Angrily, I stared down Vharley, nearly trembling with the urge to wipe that sneer off his face. The filthy Exsphere Broker had told me that if I did not surrender the Toize Valley Mines to him, he would conduct more experiments on my beloved and that I would never see her again. I couldn't let him do that to Alicia, but I couldn't surrender the mines either, not to that swine. So I'd had security system that few knew about installed, one that would keep out thieves, and no one would be able to get into the inner area but me. It was my voice and a scan of my corneas that would open it. Vharley wouldn't know that until after Alicia was back safe with me. "I've fulfilled my promise. The mine is yours. Now, please, return Alicia to me."_

_All I wanted was her back in my arms; away form the monsters that would go as far as to experiment on her. She didn't deserve that! She had done nothing wrong!_

"…_Sure thing, bub._ _You can have her. I don't have any use for a failed piece of work like that anyway." Vharley chuckled in that arrogant way that made me clenching my jaw and my fists to contain myself. How dare he speak of Alicia that way! _

_Yet before I could do anything a lumbering figure appeared, approaching the balding man from behind at a shuffling pace. The creature was tall, looming over Vharley easily, its twisted limbs swaying where it stood, the arms too long and dragging over the ground. I gaped. This thing didn't really have a face, but on its body were the tattered remains of Alicia's uniform! It couldn't be! I was stiff, unable to move or breathe. This…this thing just couldn't be Alicia!_

"_Wh…what?..." I gasped out as my mind reeled, unable to grasp what was happening now. Vharley had agreed to return Alicia to me, and he didn't know about the security system in the mines, he couldn't, so why had he brought this gangly creature? I couldn't breathe. I knew he had experimented on my lover. This wasn't the results of that, was it? It couldn't be._

"_This is Alicia." Vharley announced smugly probably amused with the expression on my face. There was something more wicked about his voice, as if his tongue was covered with the slime I saw him as. "She wasn't compatible with the Exsphere experiment. It worked just fine on another from her family."_

"_Master Regal…please…kill me!" the thing that was Alicia, the thing she'd been changed into by evil hands, pleaded with her voice. She had stepped between Vharley and me, keeping my eyes trapped on her new form. That really had been her voice. Those really were her clothes. Vharley, the people who had experimented on her, had turned her into a monster with their damned stones!_

_One of her gnarled hands lifted, the movement slow and clumsy, but then it lashed out at me. I couldn't believe it as it connected with my shoulder with such speed, such force, that I was nearly thrown off my feet. Before I could blink, she stuck again, this time in the chest forcing the air to erupt from my lungs. Hunched over, I struggled more to come to grips with what she had asked me to do more so that the fact she had attacked me._

"_I…I can't!" Even though she no longer appeared to be the woman I had fallen in love with, she was still Alicia. There had to be a way to reverse this, to save her! My rational mind laughed at such hopeful thoughts. There wasn't a cure for this, it was why Exspheres were primarily attached to machines now, because there were people that would reject the stone and become monsters. The Exspheres would consume them. Panic rushed through me. I couldn't let that happen to her! "I could never kill you with my own hands!"_

_Those clawed, no longer human hands clutched at her head. She sounded so desperate, afraid, and broken, as she pleaded again, "It's because I love you that I want you to do it!"_

_What could I do? Allow the Exsphere to take over her body, to mangle her soul as well? There wasn't a way to change her back! She couldn't even control herself now! Alicia would never have to hurt anyone, but that cursed stone had made her lash out at me, _me _of all people._

_She was barely the woman I loved now. That realization nearly brought me to my knees as tears blurred my vision. What was left of Alicia now was what was begging me to end her life. My lover knew I could do it, she had been to the dojo, she knew my strength, and she knew I would show her mercy. Was I so selfish that I would damn her to an existence like she was now?_

I love you…

I never wanted to hurt you…never…

This is my fault…I failed to protect you…

Goddess, forgive me. Alicia…I'm so sorry…

_With my eyes closed, I grit my teeth. I had to do this. I couldn't let her suffer, I couldn't leave her like this. My soul was shrieking not to do this, I needed her, and I loved her with all that I was, but my hands were still charging with mana. It was my greatest attack. The least I could do was end her suffering quickly._

_Suddenly, she lurched forward, and those long arms wrapped around my neck. Her whole form was trembling. What was happening to her? She had to have been in so much pain. Alicia was not holding me that tight, so I pushed my palms against her heart, lifting my gaze as if I could still meet her eyes. It was going to be the end of me as well, but I couldn't refuse her in this. How could I ask her to live like this just for me? "I love you, Alicia. I'm so sorry."_

_I thought I heard her sob, somewhere from deep inside that monstrous body, as I unleashed the energy, blasting right through her heart. I screamed, I know it was my voice that echoed around me in the daze of that moment while her blood splattered all over me. The crimson liquid of life even hit my skin, on my face and on my chest where her blows had torn my shirt._

_As her body crumpled at my feet, my soul was doing the same. I had murdered the woman I loved. She'd asked me to kill her and I had! I was shaking uncontrollably unaware of anything else but the deep red blood that now covered my hands, Alicia's blood. There was nothing else, just that blood, just Alicia's blood and the horror of how it came to be there._

I was staring at my bound hands. Reliving it for them, for Presea especially, had made it seem as if it were happening all over again, like blood still coated my hands. I was afraid to look up, to meet any of their gazes now. They knew everything. Could I blame any of them now if that knowledge made them shun me or caused them to despise me? Wasn't that what I deserved?

"Master Regal killed me in order to save me." Her voice compelled me to look at her once again, to meet those blue eyes that visited my dreams and haunted the darkest of my nightmares. Sadness poured from her tone. "It was the only way."

"Just like Marble…" Genis mused quietly.

"I'm so glad I got to see you again in the end. I have no regrets, now." She actually smiled at me, sweetly, causing my heart to ache, to nearly burst. How could she be happy to see me? Why did this have to be the end? That damn stone was still tormenting her! "So, please, Regal, stop punishing yourself."

My voice came out strained. "Alicia…but with my own hands, I…"

I could still recall the feel of it still, the way her marred flesh had burst beneath my palms as I had released the most powerful attack I had ever known. I could still see how the blast had torn through her body taking her life instantly.

"I will disappear very soon. So please, don't' leave me anything to worry about." She replied gently, her words sending a new wave of emotion through me. Disappear? That was what she meant by this being the end, wasn't it? She was still suffering, all of this time she had been suffering. "You don't need those shackles. You've suffered enough."

"…I took the life of the one I love. These are a symbol of my crime as well as my punishment." How could she think I had endured enough pain after what I had done? There would always be blood on my hands, no matter what I did now, for nothing could erase the sin from me. I deserved far worse than to have my hands bound.

There were tears welling in her eyes now. "…You don't need that punishment anymore! Please, Regal…"

"…" I was more than stunned by her plea. Not only did Alicia not hate me, but she wanted me to remove my shackles as well? Wouldn't anyone else curse my name and hpe that I burn for eternity? Yet…Alicia didn't want that for me. She had even wanted to see me again. Was it…was it possible that she still loved me? Or as that just my foolish heart being far too hopeful? I was no longer worthy of her love.

"Genis and I once experienced the same thing you did." Lloyd sounded so much older when he was serious, his voice trying to express a similar sadness with the empathy he felt. "And I also imagine what it must have been like…for my dad when my mom turned into a monster and he struck her down, he must have suffered as well."

"…Your father did the same thing?" I murmured unable to conceal my surprise.

_Is that why…you don't look at me with disgust, Lloyd? Because of your father?_

"…That's what I heard." Lloyd replied with a small shrug, as if the story like that didn't affect him at the moment. "I don't know if the decisions your or my dad made were correct, but I don't think my mom would have wanted my dad to punish himself and live the way you have."

Again I met Alicia's gaze. I had to hear it from her. I needed to. "…Is that true?"

"…Yes. It's just as he says." She nodded, smiling at me warmly, tenderly. Goddess, if she hadn't have been see-through it would have been like she was still alive. "At least, I don't want you to live like that."

I was still so weak though. I couldn't just remove them, even though she had asked me to. The shackles on my wrist were a constant reminder of what I had done, as well as what I had lost because I could not protect her. Yet Alicia wanted to be able to rest in peace without worrying about me, so what more could I do than at least try to put her at ease? I loved her, and I always would. I would never be able to deny her anything. "…All right. But I will never use these hands as tools of death. I swear that to you. To you and to Lloyd. And once we have defeated those who use Exspheres to toy with people's lives, I shall remove these bonds."

"…Thank you, Master." Alicia sounded so relieved and the smile she turned on Presea was so bright, so cheerful. "Presea…I think I can finally rest in peace. Please destroy the crystal before I am totally absorbed into the Exsphere."

"Why?" Presea asked hurriedly, a note of hurt lacing her tone. "Can't you stay as you are now?"

"If I stay like this, I will live on forever. An isolated consciousness, unable to speak, existing for eternity…" What could have been fear danced across her azure eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a deep longing. She didn't want to leave us even though she knew she had to and she had to know neither of us wanted to let her go. "It would be true hell…"

"…Presea, Regal, what do we do?" Lloyd had turned to us, probably sensing that the two of us would be unable to fulfill Alicia's request on our own.

_Goddess…not again…I don't want to see her go again…_

_Alicia, why couldn't I keep you with me?_

Gritting my teeth to contain such selfish wishes, I whispered in defeat, "Please, set her free."

"…Yes. Goodbye, Alicia." It was the closest Presea had ever come to sounding heartbroken, the most sadness I had heard in her voice since she'd returned to normal and discovered her father dead.

"…Thank you." Her expression was so tender, so serene now, while I felt my insides crumbling. I was going to lose her again. "Presea, please forgive Master Regal. Please."

_Oh, Alicia…what did I ever do for you to love me so much…that you'd ask that of her?_

First her form flickered, and then vanished. Inside, I wanted to scream, but outside, I could only watch numbly as Lloyd stepped forward with his sword drawn. With one fluid strike his blade shattered the stone. Now, after so long, my Alicia was truly gone. She had finally been freed. Even as Lloyd turned with his head hung I could not tear my eyes from the grave marker, not yet.

There was a long moment of silence before I faced the young swordsman again. "I'm sorry I never said anything about this until now. I'm a criminal."

"Master Regal confessed to killing Alicia and went to prison on his own will." George added quietly.

"While I was in prison, the Pope promised to arrest Vharley in exchange for kidnapping Colette. "I remarked after a deep breath trying to focus on anything other than my revived sorrow over losing Alicia. There would be time to break down, later, when I was alone. "I believed him and agreed to do it."

"So that's why you were after us." Colette murmured in understanding.

"…Yes." While I would always regret what a low I had stooped to, I could not regret finding Presea or getting to see Alicia one last time. "Please, I ask you to postpone my final judgment until we defeat Cruxis…and put a stop to them using Exspheres to toy with people's lives."

He didn't have to accept my request. There were so many times before that he could have, that perhaps he should have, especially no, but he still offered me a warm smile. "Of course! We'll work together to defeat them and restore the Giant Tree!"

Even after everything he was still willing to accept me. I couldn't believe it. He knew of my past, of my crime, and of all I'd kept hidden, and he was still willing to let me fight by his side. I was certain I would always be grateful to him for that.

Genis bit his lip as he spun in an arc to face the pink haired girl that, without even trying, had a way of making him blush. "Are you okay with that, Presea?"

Her eyes drifted up to mine and I could only wonder what she saw now that she knew. "…Vharley was responsible for Alicia's death as well. Okay. I'll…try not to think of you as my enemy. I'm not sure I can change right away, but…"

"…I'm sorry." I choked out through a swell of guilt and shame. Didn't I deserve her hate, for her to see me as an enemy? She had probably thought of me as her enemy the moment she'd learned her sister had been murdered even if she hadn't known at the time that it was my face attached to the deed. While Alicia had asked Presea to forgive me, I understood that there was probably no chance of it happening. I had taken the last of her family form her.

"It was Alicia's last request, so…I won't say a word about it anymore." The ax woman said to close the subject. I wasn't sure if I should have been relieved by that or disappointed.

Raine seemed hesitant to speak but chose to do so after a short awkward silence that had probably made them all uncomfortable. "We have all had a long day. Perhaps it would be best if we just spent the night here at the hotel and got a fresh start in the morning."

Sheena nodded. "That sounds good to me."

"It's probably for the best." Zelos commented with half a shrug, pivoting towards the elevator. "We should probably go reserve our rooms. Hey! Maybe we could go to the theater tonight…or hit the casino!"

"We're not all old enough to get into the casino, Zelos!" Genis called after the red heated Chosen as he, Raine and Sheena strolled back towards the lift. The white haired mage glanced at Presea one more time, still concerned about her, before charging after the other with Colette on his tail. Presea followed a few seconds later.

Lloyd started after them as well, but by the time he reached the elevator, he realized that I wasn't with him. Looking over his shoulder, his expression softened when it rested on me. "Hey, Regal...aren't you coming with us?"

"I…will meet you at the hotel later." I said after a deep breath.

The smile he'd been wearing faded. He didn't want to leave me behind, but would he understand after what had happened in the last few hours that I would need some time to myself? "Really? You're sure?"

"Yes." I nodded, hoping to reassure him. I needed to sort through everything, to collect myself as much as possible. "I'll be fine, Lloyd."

"All right, we'll see you later then." He still hesitated to step into the lift.

Until I heard the gates close I'd remained still, but then once I knew they were gone, I turned back to the grave, falling to my knees as if everything that had occurred this day now rested on my shoulders. Shutting my eyes tight, I could only manage to choke out one word as I battled back tears, "Alicia…"

"_Are you sure about this, Master Regal?" She couldn't help but glance around once again, expecting someone to object to where he was leading her. But there was no one else out and about in the resort town in spite of its night time attractions. "The beach is supposed to be off limits at night."_

"_Yes, but technically, I own the entire area so there isn't anyone that can reprimand us for being out here." The Duke reassured her with a wide grin holding her hand to steady her as she stepped over the ropes that blocked off the shoreline to tourists. "Besides, if the beach is supposed to be vacant at night then there is no chance of someone stumbling upon us here. Trust me, Alicia, tonight will be perfect."_

_Alicia did her best to push her worries of being caught to the back of her mind, not wanting to spoil the late night excursion that the Duke had put so much effort into planning. Regal had spent the last three days in Meltokio for some unexpected business in the court, and with his first night home he wanted to make it up to her. She could tell that he felt guilty when he had to run off to the Royal Court, leaving her for days at a time, and it made her feel special that he cared enough to plan a romantic evening for them both as if he owed that to her. So she did not protest again, or heed the urge to look over her shoulder any further, allowing the noble to lead her down the concrete steps and onto the white sand. The shoreline was vacant of another soul, the waves lapping gently at the beach in a gentle rhythm with the crescent moon glittering above, and it all seemed so mystical compared to the hustle and bustle of the tourists in the blistering sun._

_He gave her hand a squeeze as he led her down the beach to where there was already a large blanket laid out, a picnic basket set on it, waiting for them. When the Duke had had time to set this up, Alicia could only guess, unable to hide a wide smile as they sat down next to each other on the blanket. Regal only let go of her hand to begin pulling things out of the basket, setting out three different desserts along with a pair of plates and silverware. _

"_I know we both already ate at dinner, but I thought a late night snack would do." Regal commented, gesturing to the three dishes he'd laid out in front of them. One was a small raspberry and chocolate swirl cheesecake, the second a delicate pastry decorated in fruit and caramel, while the third was a small layered chocolate cake topped with white frosting. "I was not sure what you would like...so I made three different ones."_

"_You…you made these?" She shouldn't have been surprised, considering it was common knowledge for any of the staff that worked in the kitchen that their young master enjoyed cooking. But perhaps it was not that he had made the desserts, more of the fact he'd had time to do so. _

_He gave her a warm smile. "Of course."_

"_Regal, you know…you didn't have to do all of this…" Was she blushing? She felt the heat rising into her cheeks even though she tried to will it back down, clutching the end of the skirt of her uniform. He was a Duke as well as a company president, he had to have more important things to do than bake desserts for one of his servants, and yet he had anyway. The nobleman had gone out of his way to surprise her, to practically spoil her, but she didn't want him to stretch himself too thin for her sake. _

"_Alicia, I know I don't have to, but I want to do things like this for you. You do know how much joy I find in making you happy, don't you?" The Duke remarked in her ear gently before planting a kiss on her cheek. In the light of the crescent moon, he could see her blushing; it made him smile as he felt a sensation of warmth spread through him. He enjoyed surprising her, as he did not get to do so often, just as much as he enjoyed having her near. As she seemed hesitant to reply he leaned his side against hers as he took one of the plates and one of the forks that he'd set out, pointing at each of the desserts. "Now, which one would you prefer? As ashamed as I am to admit it, I had no idea what you would like most."_

"_They all look delicious, Regal." She could not believe how much trouble he'd gone to just to give her a romantic evening, how much time and effort the Duke must have put into this venture, and she knew that she had to be a deep shade of crimson in spite of her efforts. Alicia couldn't help but feel breathless; to feel utterly flattered, that a man of his status would ever take time to pay attention to her let alone find so much pleasure in spending time with her. There wasn't a day that she was not thankful to the Goddess Martel for giving her such a wonderful gift, for helping her find Regal Bryant, and for the fact that he felt the same way for her. "And you put in all this effort, so I should at least try a little of each."_

_Grinning broadly, Regal began to cut her a small sample of each, placing them onto one plate. He did the same to the second plate, but only took one in his hand once he'd finished, using the fork to lift a bite of the cheesecake to her lips._

_It was only after a deep breath that she managed to open her mouth, taking the offered dessert, chewing slowly when the sweet flavor swarmed her senses. She knew that the Duke enjoyed cooking and that he would often make his own meals, but the dessert he'd prepared was amazing. Her blue eyes alight, she swallowed, smiling brightly. "Oh Martel, that was heavenly…"_

"_Now there's no reason to tease me if it's awful." The Duke remarked his tone only slightly serious, but the mischievous sparkle in his gaze gave him away all the same. _

"_No, it's wonderful! It's perfect! Here…" She picked up the second fork off the blanket as well as the second plate, and without thinking she had scooped up a bite for him bringing it up to his lips as if it were the most natural thing in the world to feed the nobleman. She prayed that she wasn't the color of a cherry as her young master savored the dessert right in front of her eyes. Alicia never wanted to be nervous around him, to act so shy, but Regal was her first everything; her first kiss, her first date, and her first love. There were so many times that she wasn't sure what to do or how to act around him so that he wouldn't change his mind and never want to see her again. "S-see?"_

"_Well, one out of three at least." That playful smirk had returned as he presented her with another morsel, this time from the chocolate cake. His date took the bite with him watching, his head tilted to the side._

"_Master Regal, I don't know which is sweeter, you or your desserts." Alicia giggled, copying his actions so that he could try his own dish. To keep herself from flushing as she watched him, she added, "I think you're trying to spoil me, taking me out here on such a beautiful night and spending all that time to prepare such wonderful food."_

"_What can I say?" Regal leaned down, kissing her cheek, setting down the food as if it would be forgotten the moment it left his hand. He looped one arm around her waist, drawing her close so that he could whisper in her ear. "You have me under your spell, Alicia, so much so that I can barely do anything but plot on how I can impress you next. I would do anything to see you smile, anything at all, because you are so precious to me."_

"_Oh, Regal," she rasped breathlessly, melting into his embrace while gazing up at him and placing a hand on his cheek. "You know how precious you are to me too, don't you? I'm so lucky just to be near you, to spend time with you."_

"_No, I'm the fortunate one." The Duke insisted softly, brushing his lips over hers. "There aren't many women in Tethe'alla that would tolerate my schedule, or care so much more about how I feel than my reputation. You have done so much for me, more than you could ever know, Alicia, and I don't think there will ever be a way that I can repay you for it all. But I love you so much."_

_Every time those words fell from his mouth it was like the first time. A shockwave went through her system, her heart nearly leaping from her chest, and she lost her breath. How could she not be stunned that Duke Bryant loved her? Yet she would not allow the shock or the bliss to stop her from replying, "I love you too."_

_He rested his forehead on hers. "So now you know why I do all of this. That and I wouldn't want you upset with me for having to leave to go to Meltokio so abruptly."_

"_I wasn't angry with you before." Alicia murmured, nuzzling further into his arms to soak in the sense of security and of being cherished that came with being held against him. She kept his gaze, smiling sweetly, while falling into his azure hues. She always got lost in his eyes, probably because they changed when they landed on her, as if filled with so much emotion that it compelled her to look and to bask in all that was there. "And there's no way that I could possibly be angry now after you did all of this. You should be careful; I may get used to it and come to expect you to always be this romantic."_

"_I'm not worried." He told her as he pulled her a little closer, then planting kisses down her throat and feeling her shiver under the attention. "I will never stop being this romantic with you, Alicia."_

"You know, the beach is supposed to be closed at night." Lloyd chuckled as he took a seat next to me in the sand, his gaze following mine out to the lapping waves of the sea that rhythmically caressed the sand.

I gave in to the slight grin that tugged at my lips, shaking my head. "The rules don't always apply when you own the beach, though."

"I'm not going to get over that…that you're the president of a big company and own most of this island." The teen laughed as he crossed his legs, glancing to me before watching the waves again. The grin on his face was nearly contagious while it was obvious he was having trouble sitting still at the moment.

"The whole island." I murmured sheepishly.

"What?" It sounded as if he hadn't heard me.

"My family owns the whole island." I said again a bit clearer.

Lloyd gaped at me for a moment. "See, this is why I'm not going to get over that! You own everything here! You're a rich company president…even if I _sill _don't know quite what it is that you do. The Duke thing…that I can see. It even fits with your name."

"Lloyd?" I tried to get his attention as he'd started laughing again.

He quickly quelled his laughter, still smiling, but trying to meet my gaze from where he sat. "Yeah?"

Finally, I turned my head, looking at him. He had obviously come looking for me whether that had been compelled by feelings of friendship or obligation as our group's unofficial leader I wasn't sure. But never before, not even when I was younger, had someone found me on the closed off shoreline when I had escaped there to clear my mind. "…How did you know I was here?"

Even in the dim light of the moon, I could see the red rise up in his cheeks as he scratched the back of his head. "This was…uh…the last place I could think of to look."

"Hm." He'd searched that much for me?

"I can…go…if you want me to…if you'd rather be alone." The crimson clad swordsman replied hurriedly. "I don't want to bug you or anything, not if you want some time to yourself. I…just wanted to make sure you were all right."

"I used to come here quite often…when I could really…to think." I told him after a moment, realizing that if he'd looked for me that much I couldn't just ask him to go. Taking a deep breath, I shifted to sit cross-legged as well, turning my gaze back to the rolling waves.

He nodded, hugging his knees to his chest. "It seems perfect for that. It's so peaceful here. And no one is _supposed_ to be around."

"Heh…" Was he determined to try to get me to smile again? Is that why he'd come? With a small sigh, I breathed out without thinking, "I…used to bring Alicia here, too. When we were together…it was somewhere that we could go to…just be a normal couple for a while."

"A normal couple?" Lloyd questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Alicia was a servant in my home, Lloyd, and I'm a Duke, a man of noble blood. While it didn't matter to me, a lot of people would have disapproved of my relationship with her." It was so easy to tell him these things, things I'd never shared with another soul until now. But it felt safe to tell him, to bare my soul to him. So many time before he had had the chance to shun me, and every chance he ignored making me feel welcome, needed. "She thought keeping our relationship a secret would be easier on me…and while I insisted that the opinions of other meant nothing to me, I agreed to it…to be with her."

"Oh. I guess that must have been tough on you both…having to hide how you feel around each other when other people were around…" Lloyd mused quietly, hugging his legs tighter. "But you could come here whenever you wanted with her, right?"

"I…never brought her here enough…" I closed my eyes in an attempt to shut out the memories, clenching my fists. "I loved her. I should have made more time for her. There shouldn't have been anything more important than she was…nothing that came between us."

"Regal…" the young swordsman murmured gently as he put a hand on my shoulder to try to calm me. "You can't change how things were then. You had the time you could with Alicia…and I'm sure it was always special when you could sneak away from everything. She didn't want you to keep hurting yourself over what happened, you heard her say that."

"I not only lost the woman I loved, but I took her life, Lloyd." I whispered as my eyes fell to my shackles. "How can I ever supposed to stop hurting?"

"I don't know." Lloyd replied honestly after a moment's consideration. "I guess you have to remember that Alicia wants you to be happy, to live, and to stop punishing yourself. Then…take it one step at a time. It's hard…I can't imagine how hard it is for you, Regal…but you'll have your friends with you now. We'll do all we can to help you. That's what we're here for."

"Lloyd…"

"We're friends, Regal. I mean that. You've helped us all a lot and you're great to talk to when I'm feeling down or whatever." He insisted before I could finish. "Stop thinking we're going to ask you to leave, okay? It's not happening."

I grinned in spite of myself, my eyes closed as the muscles in my shoulders and arms relaxed. "And Presea?"

"Give her time?" the crimson clad teen suggested as he released his knees and crossed his legs again, resting his hands in his lap. "A lot has happened to her lately…to the both of you, really…but I think things will work out. Maybe, in the meantime, you could talk to her like you did to me?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean tell her stuff like you just told me. Stories about Alicia. It sounded like they lost touch after Alicia came to work for you…so maybe you could give her an idea of what her sister was like." Flashing me a warm smile, he ran his fingers through his hair. "You know…if she'd like that?"

"I…I don't know…" I murmured quietly.

"You won't know unless you ask her. The least you can do is offer…then she knows the option is open." Lloyd shrugged as a far away longing flooded his gaze as it returned to the horizon lined with seawater that seemed to stretch forever onward. "I can't be sure ho Presea will feel about it…but if I knew that there was someone who could tell me about my parents, I know how much that offer would mean to me…"

"Then…I'll be sure to talk to her." It wasn't as if I didn't want to. She really was Alicia's sister, the family of the woman I'd treasured so dearly. Perhaps I owed her more explanations than I gave her today or perhaps I deserved the hatred of Alicia's only living relative. Whatever the case, I had to reach out to her, and recoil only if that's what she wished. "Lloyd?"

"Yeah?" His attention slowly came back to me.

"I don't know how I can ever thank you…for everything." I murmured softly. The words I needed to express the gratitude I felt did not exist in any language that I knew, and I didn't know what I could _do_ instead to express it either. Lloyd had done so much for me, even if he didn't realize it. "I wish that I could…"

"You don't have to, Regal." Lloyd chuckled, that action bringing back the light to his gaze, and made him bounce where he sat again. "But, knowing you, me saying that won't change how you feel…will it? So why don't I just suggest something you could do?"

With my head tilted to the side, I raised a skeptical eyebrow. "All right…what do you suggest then?"

"Keep your promise. Do everything you can to keep your promise to Alicia. Help us take down Cruxis…so you can start the new life that Alicia wants for you. A life without the shackles." His voice was serious in spite of his lively expression he wore, and what was more, I could tell he meant every word of it. This teen that was out to stop an organization that ruled two words, this boy that was battling against impossible odds, had much more to worry about than the burden of my sin. Yet he cared. I could see it. I had thought the friendship he offered me fragile because it would be shattered when he and the others learned of my crimes, but it held on strong in spite of everything.

"I will." The words passed my lips without complete sincerity.

With one finger encased in his red gloves, he traced a cross over his heart. "On your honor?"

I mimicked the gesture as best I could with my bound hands. "On my honor."

Grinning broadly, he hopped to his feet. "Good. I think it's about time we head back then. The others will start to really worry about us if we don't."

"All right." He seemed pleased when I climbed to my feet, a smile once more tugging at the corner of my mouth. Lloyd was not the most intelligent of our group, that had been clear to me since early on, but when it came to knowing people the boy seemed to have an impeccable knack for it. As I started to follow him along the shoreline, I knew for certain he'd done what he'd done because he knew something about me that it almost seemed he'd just used against me.

I always keep my word.

_With a small moan she nuzzled her very warm pillow, fighting back wakefulness in the hopes of enjoying a few more hours, maybe even a few days, in the comfort of her bed. Everything was perfect now and being awake would just ruin it. But the pillow under her ear was making this steady noise that eventually roused her from her blissful state only to bring her into another._

_Her head hadn't been resting on a pillow but on the chest of Regal, her new lover. He was the warmth she had been curling into, his strong arms still wrapped around her waist as he remained slumbering peacefully. Alicia could feel the smile curling her lips as she allowed one hand to move some of the young Duke's blue bangs from the front of his closed eyes. Never before had she felt this happy, this elated, just to be near Regal and to recall his confession from last night._

"I love you, Alicia."

_It had been all she had ever wanted, to know that he felt the same way. For nearly eight years she'd been falling for her employer, treasuring any moment she could spend with him, praying that he noticed her as more than just a servant girl from a small country village._

_And now she was lying beside him after a night of love making. She had never seen him look as handsome as he did sleeping, his hair in disarray but a serene expression on his face that warmed her heart. She would have given anything to have this moment never end so that she might be able to watch him sleep forever and never have to worry about anything else ever again. Alicia just wanted to remain by his side, to soak in the feel of her skin pressed to his, to never leave his embrace, for the rest of her life._

_But she couldn't stay. Deep down she knew that. Someone, probably George, would soon realize the time and that the master of the house had yet to leave his room for the office. She knew she couldn't be here when that happened. As much as she had tried to ignore it, Alicia had seen the disapproving looks George had given her when she was too close to Regal or when the Duke seemed to go out of his way to be a gentleman to her. And as much as she hated it, the man she loved was of noble blood and she was a servant. It made no difference to either of them, as what had happened last night was a testament to, but the last thing she wanted was to cause trouble for her lover._

_Perhaps some day she would be able to stay with him, to greet him when he woke, but for now she was going to be late for her morning duties and she didn't want him to watch her go. Leaning up slowly so as not to alert him to anything but the sweet dreams he might be having, she gently pressed her lips to his whispering, "I love you, Regal."_

_She had to practically force herself to vacate his embrace and climb off the mattress, unable to tear her gaze from his slumbering face. The Duke would be upset that she left, he would insist that it didn't matter to him who found them together, but she couldn't bring herself to cause any sort of problems for him._

_For the longest time she expected him to wake while she gathered her clothes up, to see those heartwarming azure eyes flutter open and catch her getting dressed. He'd claimed to be a light sleeper, since someone might hear any alarms he set to sneak out most nights for his martial arts training. But perhaps their previous activities had helped the nobleman to reach a deeper level of sleep, one she was grateful for as she crossed the room one more time to stand at his side of the bed, her slender hand slipping into his larger one and she leaned down to give him one last kiss. He moaned softly at the action, as if in protest of her plans to leave, but did not wake._

_She checked her uniform quickly before exiting the bedroom as stealthily as she could. The coast seemed clear. Not all of the staff got up around this hour. Most of the time Alicia found it amazing that Regal could manage his busy days with only a few hours of sleep between rigorous training and still get up so early each morning. With a sigh of relief she slipped out into the corridor, shutting the door to the master bedroom as quietly as possible, and then attempting to rush down the hall without making as sound._

"_Miss Combatir, what were you doing in Master Regal's room?" The sudden question breaking the silence caused her to gasp, whirling around to see just who had caught her in the act. George stared back at her, arms crossed over his chest, lips set into a thin line, with his foot tapping the floor impatiently while his eyes were ever so slightly narrowed._

"_I…" Alicia had a gut feeling that if she lied he would know. For so long she could just see how much this man disliked her anywhere near Regal, and perhaps he'd been waiting for an opportune chance to keep them apart. Remembering how her lover had insisted so many times that he would never let anything happen to her, and that Regal kept telling her that since he was the master of the house the only person she truly would ever answer to was him, the young woman set her shoulders and steadied her voice. "I do not believe that is any of your business."_

_The flare of anger in his gaze was unmistakable. "Oh?"_

"_Yes." She answered flatly, doing her best to stare him down for a moment. Then she spun on her heel. "Now if you'll excuse me, sir, I have morning duties to perform."_

_She was nearly at the end of the hall when she heard him clambering to catch up to her brisk pace, stating sharply behind her, "No, Miss Combatir, you do not."_

"_Excuse me?" She stopped halfway down the stairs that led to the first level of the Bryant estate, fixing him with a hard glare over her shoulder. He caught up with her because of this, but she paid no heed to it._

"_I said you no longer have duties to perform here, Miss Combatir." George seemed to ground the words out as if not only to remain polite, but to keep his voice down. Was he trying to make it so no one else heard this little confrontation? And was he doing this for his master's benefit or for another reason entirely? "Your services here are no longer needed. You many pack your things and leave immediately."_

"_What!"_ _Alicia exclaimed in a combination of disbelief and shock. _

_That was when George grabbed her arm rather roughly, starting to pull her down the rest of the staircase and then towards the back exit of the manor, curiously in the wrong direction of her room where she could pack her things. "In fact, Master Regal has been discussing terminating your employment here for weeks now, my dear."_

_It was because of her shock that she did not tear from his grip until they were nearly to the back door that led out into the gardens. Again she stared at the old man harshly, no longer concerned with being polite. Alicia was certain that, in her eight years in this house, she had come to know Regal Bryant better than his other servant ever had. Also, she could not help but suspect it was not the Duke that wanted her gone but his meddling servant. "Then if Master Regal wants me gone I would like to hear so from _him_."_

_With that she stalked past him. How dare he tell her that Regal was planning to send her away! Did George know what was going on between her and the young nobleman, or did he just suspect? Either way she just wanted to go back to her lover's room, to have Regal assure her that there had never been any plans of firing her. The Duke had said he loved her! She could not believe George, and she could not doubt her beloved now._

"_I'm afraid I cannot allow that." Before she could get very far, George had taken hold of her arms from behind, dragging her back towards the exit to the gardens._

"_Let go of me!" Alicia exclaimed struggling against the old man's grip. Somehow the other servant managed to pull her out into the gardens, albeit while she was kicking and screaming for Regal. But no one came to her rescue. The man she loved was in a deep sleep on the second floor while none of the other servants were in this wing of the estate at this time of the morning. The gardeners wouldn't even be up and about for another two hours at the least._

_So there was no one to come to save her._

_George roughly shoved her at two men in armor who'd been waiting on the cobblestone path for them. "Bring her to Vharely. Tell him he can do what he likes with her as long as Master Regal never lays eyes on her again."_

_Alicia couldn't believe her ears. And even as she screamed and begged for them to let her go, the two strangers began to take her away. They were the only ones that heard her cry out for the Duke, or curse George in as many colorful words as she knew. But no matter what she did she couldn't get away from their vice-like grips and sneering faces. She could not break free to return to the embrace of the man she loved so dearly. Nor could she even warn Regal how George was so quick to go behind the Duke's back and do as he pleased._

_She fought so hard, but it was all in vain. "Regal!"_

Nothing seemed that different as, the next morning, we left the hotel headed for the gates of the city. Lloyd, Colette, and Genis, had rushed ahead, the crimson clad swordsman and the blonde angel excited at the prospect of our next destination being the Temple of Darkness, while the young mage groaned about how soon Lloyd's attitude would change. Sheena was chatting with Raine and Presea to calm down after Zelos had made another lecherous advance on her. I was content with walking at the back of the group and openly, and openly sulking, the Chosen of Tethe'alla joined me.

Normally, I would have kept silent, and Zelos would have grumbled and complained about how the ninja didn't have to hit so hard, but there was something I needed to say to him. "Thank you, Zelos."

"Huh?" He looked up at me in confusion, still rubbing the bruise that was most likely forming on the back of his head. It was a wonder, with all the abuse he'd taken at Sheena's hands, that he hadn't learned to not say such things to her or to duck. "For what? If you're thanking me for making entertainment for you this morning that's just _cold_, man."

Shacking my head, I couldn't help but chuckle at his hurt expression. "No, no, not that."

"Then what?" He was looking at me strangely, one eyebrow raised, obviously puzzled by my gratitude. It was odd that he couldn't guess it already.

"For letting me tell them." The fact that he'd recognized me, even if he couldn't quite place me, had worried me from the start, yet even after he'd figured it out he had said anything. Zelos had given me the chance to tell them myself, which I would always be thankful for. He could have exposed me the moment he realized my identity, but he'd kept silent, waiting for me to tell them myself.

"Hey, when we first bumped into each other you kicked me in the back of head and pinned me to the disgusting sewer floor…but other than that…you're a good guy, Regal." Zelos actually sounded serious, something I knew to be somewhat rare. "Besides, I may be of noble blood, but I'm not one to gossip about stuff like this. It wasn't my place."

"Well, thank you." I said again, smiling down at him.

"Oh no, don't thank me." Zelos smirked. "Apologize."

"Yeah! For holding me down on that filthly sewer floor!" the Chosen exclaimed waving his arms. "That was not only gross, but it messed up my favorite outfit! Do you know how humiliated I was to walk back to my mansion like that?"

I was trying very hard not to laugh. Now this was the Zelos Wilder I'd come to know, not really serious about anything but women or his looks. He saw my expression, and it flustered him further. Again he flapped his arms, and I couldn't help but laugh, something I didn't think I would do so soon.

"Hey, come on! I kept my mouth shut for you, the least you can do is apologize for getting me slimy that day!" the red headed swordsman complained lovely.

"All right, all right. I'm sorry for what I did I the sewers that day." I sighed once I got my laughter under control even if I couldn't remove my smile. Even if he was a bit vain, as well as a little more than flirtatious with women, but he was a good person where it counted.

"Good, see, like I said. You're a nice guy." The red head flashed me one more wide grin before he sped off to pester Sheena once again.

_Something was missing. He'd never woken up feeling that way before, and yet he knew that something that should have been there wasn't. No, not something, his groggy mind slowly corrected his train of thought, _someone _was missing. The idea of it was what brought the young noble around, his blue eyes struggling to focus because of the sunlight streaming in from his windows. As soon as he came back to himself he sat up in the very large bed, concerned. "Alicia?"_

_She wasn't there. Her side of the bed was empty, not even the slightest bit of her impression was left in the pillows or the mattress where she had been when he closed his eyes. A quick glance at the floor confirmed that even the young woman's clothes had been taken off the floor of his large room. The sight of the empty bed, no traces remaining of her, made him wonder if last night had been a dream for just a moment. And then the disbelief of what had transpired between them was replaced with an ache._

_After everything that they'd done, everything he'd said, she hadn't stayed with him._

_Heaving a disappointed sigh, Regal laid back down, shutting his eyes. He probably should have been expecting her to slip out before he woke up. Alicia wanted to avoid the stigma he'd suffer if anyone discovered their relationship, no matter how many times he had calmly, firmly insisted that it did not matter to him. What everyone else thought was irrelevant to the Duke. He did not care that they were supposed to be master and servant, or that six years of age separated them. After everything he'd been through, Alicia Combatir was the first person to make him happy, and he would have given anything to cling to that happiness forever._

"Alicia…how do you feel about being a…duchess?"

_He had asked that timid question in the after glow, when the moment might have been too perfect. She had been tired, and after he'd asked that she'd murmured something noncommittal, incoherent, merely snuggling closer to him and promptly falling asleep. If anything he would have liked to ask her when she was more aware, when she might have actually answered him, but there was still a doubt in his mind. There was still a small shred of doubt that said that if he really asked her, Alicia would turn him down._

_But she had smiled so sweetly when she'd babbled her response into his skin. Regal wanted to believe he could make her happy, that what they had was real._

_Rolling onto his side he lazily opened the top drawer to his nightstand, rummaging around blindly inside until he found it. A small velvet box he'd kept there since he was fifteen. His mother had given it to him, for it was a family heirloom. The gorgeous engagement ring glittered in the sunlight once the lid of the box had been pulled back, and Regal couldn't stop the grin that curled his lips._

_Last night he had fumbled for words to ask her what he'd really been thinking. He hadn't asked her what he'd meant to. But he had plenty of time to come up with the right words, the proper way to ask her, before he tried again._

_Again Regal couldn't hold back a smile, feeling more light and carefree than he had in years. Rising from the bed finally, he decided that both the office and the court could go on without him for at least one day, that for the first time since he had been named President of the Lezareno Company and a Duke of the Royal court, he planned to shirk his duties. He wanted nothing more than to spend the entire day with Alicia, and it was not as if he would answer to anyone if he did so._

_Quickly bathing, deciding not to bother slicking back his long bangs opting instead just to tie his shoulder length locks back at the nape of his neck, Regal finally dressed in a simple pair of black slacks along with a black silk button-down shirt. He had carefully returned the velvet box to its place before he left the room with an extra spring in his step, the smile on his lips still bright even though the woman he loved had not been next to him when he'd woken up. Nothing could dampen the Duke's spirits, not with the way his heart was soaring because when he had confessed his feelings, having finally found the courage, as well as the right moment, she had replied in kind._

"I love you too, Regal."

_Part of Alicia's job in the morning was to assist the chefs in making breakfast for everyone on the estate as well as prepare the dining hall. He knew that he should find her there, already working, and just the idea of being able to lay eyes on her again was what practically had him floating on air all the way to the huge kitchen. Upon opening one of the swinging doors he was hit with several delicious aromas he had to pause for just a moment to savor. Then his gaze swept over the familiar faces, searching each one, finding the one he was looking for to be missing._

"_Sanji, have you seen Alicia by chance?" Regal asked the chef closest to him, confused by the fact his lover was absent from her usual post._

"_Oh! Master Regal." The man seemed startled for only a second at the young master's presence in the kitchen. Almost everyone who lived in the Duke's manor knew of the noble's passion for cooking, so it was never out of the ordinary for any of the staff to find Regal down in the kitchen perhaps choosing to make his own meal for a change. "Um… no. Oddly enough, Alicia hasn't come in all morning. She has never even been late before. You might want to check the dining hall though; maybe something came up there to keep her busy."_

"_Thank you." His grin began to lessen as he exited the kitchen and went straight into the dining hall, scanning over the occupants with a knot of concern twisting in his stomach. She wasn't in the dining hall either. She wasn't in either place that she was supposed to be at this time in the morning, so where could she have gone?_

"_Master Regal, are you looking for someone?" a young maid asked softly._

"_Yes, Jillian, have you seen Alicia this morning?" the Duke asked her unable to rid himself of the feeling that something was very wrong. Alicia was never late for her morning duties and yet she was not in the kitchen or the dining hall. He should not have been so concerned about this little disappearance, he should not have had panic building up in the back of his throat, but even as his rational mind argued this his instinct wouldn't respond. Every nerve ending was flared, prepared for what he knew was coming. Something was wrong. Alicia wouldn't just disappear after last night! Would she?_

"_No, Master Regal. I even checked her room." Jillian told him searching his expression as if she suspected he already knew what was going on. "All of her things are gone. Some of the other maids say she was fired."_

"_Fired?" Regal managed to choke out in his disbelief._

_He was back out of the large dining area, running through the corridors of the mansion before he knew it. There was only one thought in his mind, and that was that what Jillian had said could not be true. No one else had the authority to fire his servants, and he would never have terminated her employment. The panic growing rapidly within him, Regal finally tore open the door of Alicia's chambers, expecting to find her behind the door or maybe sitting on the bed._

_But there was no one in the room._

_Frantic he tore open the drawers of her dresser, her nightstand, then throwing open the closet and chest set at the end of the bed. All of it was empty. Empty like no one had ever carefully folded their clothes to fill the drawers and chest, and had never hung up freshly pressed uniforms in the closet. None of her personal items were on the floor, the shelves; even the books he had given her were gone!_

_Regal could not believe his eyes. Where were her things? Who could have taken them all out so quickly? Where was Alicia? This was impossible! Her things should still be here! She should still be here! Or…did she leave? No, Alicia wouldn't do that to him. Not sweet, caring, wonderful Alicia who had reached out to him and pulled him back out of the grips of loneliness! No, Alicia loved him. She wouldn't leave him. She wouldn't do that to him._

_But then where was she? What had happened to all of her clothes, her books, and her keepsakes from Ozette? She could not have been fired, he wouldn't have done that to her, and yet all of her things were missing from the room she had once occupied, and she had not been seen all morning. Where could she be? What had happened to her?_

"_Oh, there you are, Master Regal." George's voice caused him to whirl around, finding the older man standing in the doorway, watching him curiously but cautiously as well. The man that had served him for longer than he could remember almost seemed wary of him now, a nervous expression creeping over his wrinkled face. There was a moment that the Duke did not see George that was standing there, but the man that had once sent everyone he had ever known as a child away. It was that moment that made something click in his distressed mind._

"_Where is she?" Azure eyes narrowed dangerously. He had been wrong before, he was not the only one who had the authority to fire someone on staff, and he had tried so hard to ignore the disapproving glares from the older man towards Alicia._

"_Master Regal, should you not be--"_

"_I will not ask you again, George." Regal cut in sharply taking several menacing steps forward, knowing that after years of secret and intense martial arts training that he was of an intimidating build and using it without thinking. He watched the elder man back up, into the hallway, but the Duke continued his advance until the servant had his back pressed to the wall with no escape. Part of him wanted to believe that the older man had nothing to do with this, that his servant was innocent of any knowledge concerning Alicia's sudden disappearance, but there had already been so many people that George had escorted out of his life. He would not allow the same to become of his lover. "Where is Alicia?"_

"_You must understand, sir, that I am only doing what is right for you. Miss Combatir was a distraction and she was not right for you. She was a commoner, you are a noble. I could not allow her to soil your good name, Master Bryant." His servant insisted in a shaking voice barely able to meet the hard gaze of the man he served. "You are a Duke, a man of prestige. I saw fit to end this now before she could ruin all that you have come to achieve. So I had her removed this morning."_

"_You..._what_?" the Duke hissed darkly. His control was slipping. He was never a violent man, in spite of the fact he had trained his body to fight, but in that moment there was a frightened man screaming inside of him. There was the seventeen-year-old Regal who had just lost everything in the span of a few days that was crying that Alicia could be taken away as well. His hand shot out and before he knew it he was holding his servant by the front of his suit, inches off the floor, having already shoved him roughly into the wall._

"_I…had Miss Combatir…removed." George stammered hurriedly._

_The nobleman could barely draw in a breath. Alicia was gone and it was because of the one man he'd thought he could trust. George had been a friend of the family, he had served him well for so long, Regal did not want believe that the elder man could be so callous as to totally disregard the Duke's feelings. How could George still see Alicia as nothing more than a commoner when she made his master happy? Didn't that matter? Didn't his happiness ever matter? Inside he was screaming and struggling against the blind anger coursing through his veins, thundering against his temples. He squeezed his eyes shut searching for the rational part of his mind, but all that he managed to do was picture his beloved and remember her words._

"I love you too, Regal."

_With enough force to wind the old man, Regal slammed him back into the wall growling out, "You had no right to do this, George! You had no right to decide this for me, to disregard my wishes and go behind my back! I love her, do you hear me? Do you understand?"_

"_Perhaps what you felt for her was genuine, Master Regal, but I have seen women like her before, and she was probably using you. She wanted your status and your wealth." How he managed to sound almost calm while his legs kicked in the air uselessly was a mystery._

"_What you think of Alicia is of no concern to me, but in firing her you have overstepped your bounds. You are not my father, my guardian, or my keeper, George, and you never should have tried to act as such. I do not care about your intentions or what you consider to be in my best interest." The noble shouted, furious at how a man he had once respected could insult an innocent woman with such ease and without remorse. How could he have not seen how quick George was to judge? How could he have been blind to the fact his servant cared more about image than about his happiness? "You had no right to remove her from my home!"_

"_But--!"_

"_No, I don't want to hear it!" Regal exclaimed furiously releasing his grip on the other's suit and watching him crumple to the floor with only the slightest bit of satisfaction. "You had no authority to fire Alicia. And you did so behind my back. How could you, George? After everything…how could you?"_

_Fearfully the servant climbed to his feet, his gaze watching the Duke for any movement, any sign that the nobleman might attack again. This time he held his tongue, wise enough to see that it was taking a great deal of Regal's willpower to not lash out at him again. Eight years ago when he had replaced the entire staff, George had only gotten a few protests from his young charge, but now it seemed that the Duke had found the voice to speak out now that something had threatened his relationship with Alicia._

"_George, you have served my family for many years, but I will not look over this. I will not tolerate it." Regal's voice did not seem his own for it was colder, harder than it had ever come out before, matching the newfound ice in his azure eyes. "You will bring Alicia back. If you don't, I will find her myself, and then I will _forcibly _remove you from my property with no guarantee for your safety."_

_He left George standing there stuttering and trembling in shock._

To be continued

**End notes: **Yes, finally past the confession scene. I never thought I would make it, and I never thought it would turn out this way. Originally, I was going to do the flashback in the middle of the terrace scene like all the others in third person, but I thought it would have more impact if it were in Regal's point of view. I kind of see it as Regal reliving it while he's telling them all what happened, but perhaps that's just me. So, from here on out, some of this might be a bit choppy thanks to the fact that the focus on Regal diminishes a good deal unless he is the character that likes Lloyd the most. Hope to have you back for the next chapter!


	8. Eight

**Title:** On my Honor

**Author:** Yamato795

**Pairing:** Lots of mentions of RegalxAlicia, but no other ones planned at the moment…

**Rating:** Let's go PG-13 to be safe, since they do swear in the game, and the violence.

**Status:** Chapter 8 out of ? parts. Lots planned, but a number is not clear just yet.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Tales of Symphonia. Please don't sue me.

**Spoilers:** A TON, mostly for Regal. I'd say this story is better suited for those who have beaten the game if you ask me. Read at your own risk of spoiling anything. Since it starts where Regal comes in, it should spoil quite a bit of the game after that, don't you think?

**Summary:** Take a look through Regal's eyes as well as a look into his past.

**Author notes: **I think it would be best if I informed all of you that I am actually getting closer to the point where I will no longer have parts of the game in the chapters. I do have to skip around a bit, and will do my best to keep the chapters from becoming too choppy, but I really think that since everyone reading this should have already played the game, it won't matter too much. I'd like to thank Christie for all her support and help, and I'd like to thank Marika as well! Enjoy the chapter!

On my Honor

Chapter eight

Forming a pact with Shadow proved to be problematic as soon as we entered the Temple of Darkness. True to its name, there was not a speck of light inside, the Summon Spirit's power stretching out and covering the sacred enclosure in pitch black. Nothing we tried worked to brighten the temple, and that meant we'd have to try to make our way to the seal room in the dark if there was nothing we could do for light. Then Sheena told us that Elemental Research Academy in Meltokio had used a relic called the Blue Candle to be able to study the Temple of Darkness, so perhaps we should ask them for help.

Within minutes we were slipping into the sewers beneath the Imperial City, beneath the notice of the guards, making it to the surface with relatively no trouble. Most of the monsters had avoided us and the people that were nearby when we emerged from the underground passage paid us no mind. It had been a very long time since I last walked the streets of Meltokio, and I had to brush thoughts like that away when we arrived at the research academy.

A blue haired young half elf turned at the sound of our approach, his expression brightening at the sight of the summoner who had led our group inside. "Sheena! And everyone…"

She returned his smile instantly. "We have a bit of a favor to ask you all, if it's all right. You see, it's about Shadow's dungeon…"

The two half elves that stood before her listened intently, the one with blue hair nodding occasionally and the blonde one chewing his lip. There was something behind his gaze that made me wonder what he was thinking about while he took in Sheena's words, and why it seemed to me he didn't really want to hear them. I could only guess that perhaps he and Sheena had not gotten along when Sheena had learned summoning from them.

"Ah, I see." When the blue haired researcher spoke up at the end of the ninja's explanation he rubbed his chin as if calculating. "In that case, the Blue Candle should be of use to you."

"Blue Candle?" Lloyd sounded as if he'd already forgotten that the relic had been mentioned before when our friend had suggested we seek help here. Scratching the back of his neck, it appeared the young swordsman at the least found the name familiar even if he couldn't place it.

"It's a holy candlestick that negates the power of darkness." The Professor explained for her student. Curiosity then filled her tone as her gaze locked on that of the other half elf. "You have that here?"

"Yes. Relying on ancient documents, we succeeded in creating it here in our lab." He nodded with pride, a smile crossing his lips again.

"Then can we borrow one?" our young leader asked.

"Of course, we'd be--" the blue haired researcher began.

"Hey!" his blonde coworker exclaimed in outrage, his expression darkening as he glared at all of us. Clenching his fists at his sides he set his jaw rather pointedly. "It's these guys' fault that Kate was arrested! We can't help them."

"But they're Sheena's friends." The other researcher protested.

"Kate?" Lloyd blinked in confusion glancing between the two half elves looking for answers. "What happened to Kate?"

If I remembered correctly from a talk with Raine and Genis, Kate was a young woman who worked in a lab in Sybak, and the group, or most of the group, had met her when Raine and Genis had been arrested in violation of the caste system and the others were put in a basement lab. It was there they had met her and discovered she had been part of the team that had experimented on Presea. I wasn't quite sure why then, knowing this woman had been part of the reason Presea had lost years of her life to an Exsphere, that Lloyd sounded worried about her.

"Kate is going to be executed for harboring criminals and helping them escape." The blue haired young man practically sighed in defeat.

"Because of us… Dammit!" Lloyd murmured bitterly.

Colette put a hand on his shoulder, trying her best to meet his downcast eyes with a plea in her own. "Lloyd! Please, let's save Kate!"

Now, I had never met this Kate before, what I knew of her was entirely second hand, and I was really in no position to judge anyone else for their crimes, yet I was stunned by the fact they wanted to help this woman. What she'd done to Presea, all she'd taken from her, didn't that matter? There was probably more to this that I didn't see. I hadn't been with the others when they had encountered this Kate, I didn't know everything that occurred then or how Presea felt about the half elf that was going to be executed because of allowing them to escape.

"Lloyd…I…I want to save her, as well." Her soft, gentle words, full of sincerity, cause all of our eyes to fall upon her. Presea was clutching the skirt of her dress tight with her fingers and it was the only sign of her struggle with this decision because none of it reached her face. This was hard for her, understandably so. There were not a lot of people who would look past such heinous deeds done to them in order to help someone who had inflicted that pain upon them.

Biting his lip, the brunette swordsman spun to face her, running his gloved fingers through his hair. "Yeah, but how?..."

There was no way we would be able to sneak into the palace, it was too heavily guarded and it would be walking into the arms of the Papal Knights that had been so vigilantly pursuing us. How else could we get into the palace dungeon where she was undoubtedly being held? It was when I let my eyes drop onto my shackles that I thought of it, suggesting, "How about participating in the matches being held at the Coliseum?"

Zelos blinked at me bewildered, his hand cocked to the side. "The Coliseum? What for?"

"It was originally constructed to watch fights between prisoners and wild beasts." I explained evenly while inside I was cringing at the memories now lapping at the back of my thoughts. The battle arena of Meltokio held no fond memories for me. "There is a passage inside the prison which allows prisoners to be taken to the Coliseum."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the expression on the Chosen of Tethe'alla's face fall, his smile all but vanishing. "…Oh, that's right. You were there before…"

Surely it wasn't so easy for him to completely forget I was a criminal. He had never treated me such, the blood was still on my hands and would mark me forever though, and I don't know how he could see past that let alone forget it for periods of time. What I understood even less, though, was why remembering seemed to sadden him.

"Then, let's hurry up and rescue her…" the blonde half elf insisted with a touch of impatience.

"Okay, gotcha." Lloyd nodded to the researchers in determination before then turning back to us and gesturing out the door. "Everyone, let's hurry to the arena."

Taking a deep breath, I followed my friends out of the academy and down the cobblestone street, trying to still my thoughts so they wouldn't slip back to that time eight years ago. Things had been so dark then. My life had been vacant of hope, bleak, and unsure. I had, at first, not wanted to live, and then I had fought only enough to survive so that I might bring Vharley to justice. There was not a part of me that desired to return to the Coliseum, but it didn't seem I had many options.

"Hey, Zelos, Regal." Lloyd slowed his pace a bit to fall into step between the red headed Chosen and myself. "How does this Coliseum work? Can we just slip in and find that passageway, or will we actually have to go in and fight?"

"The only way we'll get into the waiting room is if we enter the match." Zelos answered after glancing at me once. "That's means only one of us can go in, bud."

"And they will have to fight. Only after the match will the guard that watches that passage leave his post. Hopefully it will give one of us time enough to get into the dungeon." I added, the words leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. While the fights forced upon by prisoners in the arena had stopped two years ago making way for the new system of willing participants, I would never be able to even look at the battle arena without a knot forming in my stomach. The Coliseum was a place of blood, violence, and memories I just couldn't seem to forget. If it hadn't been for the fact that Presea wanted to rescue Kate, I would have asked to stay behind.

"Only one of us?" Our young leader obviously didn't like the sound of it. I did not either, for from what I had heard the usual matches were three fighters against one challenger. "And whoever goes in will have to win to be able to get to Kate?"

"Yes." I replied, my lips pressed into a thin line. Lloyd nodded to me before speeding up to speak with Colette and Raine. While he seemed uneasy with the situation one of us would be heading into, perhaps he knew that each of his companions was strong in their own right. Not all of our strength came from working as a team; each of us had specialties to offer, which gave us all the more power in bottle.

I knew that Lloyd would most likely be the one to make the decision on who would enter the fight and ultimately save Kate, and it almost surprised me how much I'd come to trust his judgment. He was young, sometimes immature, but when it came to this cause and the well-being of those that he cared for, Lloyd was skilled with such problem solving.

Following slightly behind the others, I entered the Coliseum through the main entrance, something I had never done before, as I had always been taken here through the dungeon. Before I'd been imprisoned I had never come here, the fights too brutal and barbaric for me to stomach. Lloyd spoke with the receptionist behind the front desk politely and she asked him automatically which of us would like to enter.

"Regal will enter." The young swordsman announced after a moment of thought.

While I knew that I was a logical choice, as I had been the one that had fought in the Coliseum for the first six years of the sentence I'd been serving and I was the one that had told them of the passage way, I still had to ignore the wrench of the knot forming in my stomach. I would have to go back in there. "…Very well."

Turning back to me, I could see that Lloyd began to search my blank expression. Had he heard the hesitation in my reply? Was he reading into it? "We're counting on you."

He had to know me far to well to remind me of that at the moment. I couldn't refuse when I knew that they needed me to do this, that they wanted to save this woman. After all the kindness and acceptance they had shown me, I could not back down now that they asked this of me.

And at least this one was one of my demons I could face. "…Heh."

Presea then spun to face me, her gaze lifting slowly to mine. I had not really had any chance to speak with her since my confession on the terrace. Now was not the time for such a talk, so I had no idea what she might be thinking, what she might want to tell me. What she said startled me. "…Please…do your best…"

"…Presea." The fact she could even look me in the eyes still seemed a miracle to me, and the fact she would speak to me still meant more than I would ever be able to say, in spite of the fact that she'd said she would try not to see me as an enemy. I was grateful that she would try not to despise me, no matter if she couldn't help it or not. That she would even encourage me meant the world. I didn't know how to respond, and before I knew it, a long silence had stretched out in the battle arena's lobby.

Zelos rubbed the back of his neck, watching me. "Talk about an…"

Genis turned to glance me over as well. "…awkward silence."

A bit impatiently, Lloyd gestured towards the front desk, not wanting to push me but obviously uncomfortable with the chance of prolonging this situation. "…Ah… Please register."

There was no point in delaying this. While I had never wanted to enter the arena again, this time I had to in order to save a life. That made it all worth it, did it not? Presea wanted to save Kate in spite of what the woman had done to her, and perhaps, in doing this, she might grace me with such a level of forgiveness as well. "I will enter."

The woman at the desk though did not want to allow that. We were a group of fugitives in the eyes of the law of Tethe'alla, so her feelings were understandable. The only reason she permitted me to enter was Raine offered her double the normal entrance fee.

The moment I walked into the competitor's waiting area I felt a chill run through me. It was not of dread, or of fear, but one of the cold of the memories seeping back into my thoughts, things that haunted me. This arena, this place, was one of the demons that would haunt my lesser nightmares, yet it was nothing compared to the actual demon I had faced in battle on the floor of the arena once.

When the guard opened the gate for me, I pushed away all of my thoughts.

Memories couldn't hurt me now.

_The announcement had come without warning. The guards went around the cell blocks of the most dangerous criminals, proclaiming that the fights in the coliseum would no longer be between prisoners and wild beasts, for the prisoners were now going to fight each other. Each match would consist of two prisoners chosen at random, and each match up was final. Prisoners were to be ready each day now, as with the new system there was a chance they could fight every day. Most were disturbed with by this new development, some protested loudly because there were some criminals that they knew they stood no chance against, but there was one man that was thrilled with the idea. He praised it as a work of genius, especially a few days into the new system when he learned the identity of his first opponent._

_Spike was to fight Regal Bryant at noon the next day. He'd heard over half of the Royal Court was expected to show for the match. That just excited him even more, the prospect of fighting the Duke in front of nobles and royals, an audience that would see one of their own slaughtered. The information had come around the same time as the afternoon meal, which while Gib and Spike were fed in their cells, Regal was usually in the prison yard when he ate._

_As soon as the young noble was escorted back from the yard, and the guards were gone, Spike stood, grinning evilly. "Looks like we're finally going to end this, pretty boy. Guards just brought your death wish. Guess who you fight in the arena tomorrow?"_

_Regal just stood just inside the bars, more a statue than a man. Around Spike the only signs of life in him were the rise and fall of his chest as he drew breath, and the occasional blink of a pair of azure orbs. The way he blatantly ignored the other murderer was what really made Spike hate him, more than all of his titles or all of the privileges he'd left behind, but that no matter how much the burly convict taunted or beat him, Regal never so much as flinched._

_With a growl, Spike reached out, taking hold of the metal bonds that bound the Duke's wrists, swinging him around. He probably was so blinded by anger that he missed the few careful, subtle steps Regal took to lessen the momentum and nearly cushion how the other murderer slammed him into the stone wall on the far side of the cell. Empty gaze straight ahead, practically through the fuming figure before him, it was like Regal was in some sort of trance._

_Spike was already snarling in his face. "Tomorrow this will all be over. I'll put you out of your misery, how does that sound? Of course, I'm gonna make it hell for you first, but it wouldn't be fun any other way."_

_No matter what he said or did the Duke never responded. His tormentor never got a wince, a whimper, or a protest. To a certain degree it was in sheer defiance that he maintained this stand against his cellmate, but on the other end of the spectrum there was a cruel voice that insisted in the back of his mind that he deserved this, that he needed to be punished for his crime. There was no pride in it, he was not trying to maintain his dignity as a noble, no, and he merely wished to suffer in peace, as Spike didn't want to allow that Regal refused to give him any satisfaction from his attempts._

"_You stuck up son of a bitch!" Spike no longer felt the need to hold back, so he punched Regal square in the face with all of his weight behind it, watching the Duke's head snap to the side but having already missed how the blue haired noble had moved to lessen the impact. "You know I'm not afraid to kill ya! If you don't grow a back bone over night,_ I will kill you_!"_

_He should have known how wasted that threat was by now._

"_What kind of murderer won't fight back, huh?" He shoved the Duke into the wall as hard as he could, missing the dip in the other man's chin that would keep his head from connecting with the stone. Spike wished for a look of pain on his favorite victim's face, but was willing to wait for tomorrow to get one. He could already imagine the screams of agony he'd torture out of this man. "Do you only fight defenseless girls? Is that what you do when money and power aren't enough? Murder women?"_

_There was not even a flicker of rage in the other convict's eyes. He knew how to shut the world out, to find his center so nothing could shake him. Spike could not get through. Again, he did not so much as flinch as the furious prisoner grabbed him by the throat._

"_I can't wait to spill your noble blood in the dirt once we're in the arena, Bryant, in front of at least a dozen lords and ladies." Spike spat in the Duke's face squeezing Regal's neck to attempt to cut off his air supply, except the noble had anticipated this, and had relaxed the muscles in his neck to give him enough slack in the convict's grip to breathe easier. "You're going to make it all too easy for me too, since you don't have the guts to fight! How does it feel to know this is your last night alive, your lordship?"_

"_Wait, Spike, you shouldn't…" Gib was suddenly at the murderer's side, his shaky voice breaking into the other man's threats._

"_Shut up, Gib." The burly man growled out, choking Regal even more._

"_But, Spike--"_

"_I said _shut up_!" He whirled around in fury, slapping the gangly thief across the face, but releasing the nobleman he'd been harassing in the process. Gib did not usually work for Spike's attention, if he didn't have it the murderer usually kept his sights on the Duke. But by protesting he'd made himself a target, now getting the beating that had probably been intended for their other cellmate._

_Regal knew what Gib had been trying to tell Spike though. He'd been trying to warn the murderer, not only of the fact that Regal was being trained in Traubel by a man named Levin in the prison yard, but that the only place that the noble would fight was in the coliseum. Gib had even heard rumors that it was Regal that had beaten most of the beasts into submission, never killing one of them, but taking the fight out of them, and that was the reason for the matches between prisoners now. And the Duke had already battled six other convicts, defeating all of them while still in his shackles. The thief had no idea if any of it was true, but he'd still tried to warn Spike. His reward for that was a beating that knocked him out for two days, too long to ever warn his cellmate, for once he was out it was already too late._

_As the arena was linked to the prison, the transfer was easy. It wasn't as if Regal would have resisted the guards, they were just pleased that for once they didn't have to listen to taunts or force a prisoner to do something. They were also surprised by Regal's choice of weapon, greaves, as Spike had chosen a small knife, but what shocked them more was he adamantly told them he was leaving the shackles on when they asked if they should remove them for the match. Once he'd been granted his weapon choice though, they were to usher him into the arena, which they did, but hesitantly. Even if Regal had won all of his other matches, Spike was a much more dangerous, deadly, serial killer. Did the Duke really stand a chance while he was shackled?_

_Stepping out onto the dirt floor of the coliseum, Regal replayed Levin's words from the day before, a mantra in his head now._

"This isn't about revenge, it's about survival. You have to survive to bring Vharely to justice."

_Spike was already waiting for him, tossing the dagger he'd chosen from one hand to the other, the blade shimmering in the sunlight from where he stood on the other side of the battle arena. The King of Tethe'alla had come, as had the Pope, along with many others of noble blood that Regal should have recognized but had never cared enough to. Everyone else in the stands was roaring, cheering, or screaming for blood. Just as each time before, Regal felt a wave of disgust hit him. He couldn't stand this meaningless violence, he hadn't been able to stomach it before he'd become a prisoner himself._

"_I've been waiting for this moment for too long!" Spike called out to him nastily, as if he thought the words intimidating. "You aren't leaving here alive!"_

_The Duke pushed away all thoughts, shifting his weight from foot to foot, but barely enough that it would be visible from a distance. He was finding the center both Master Goatta and Master Levin had stressed, the deep recess of his mind where emotions could not reach and taint the sound judgments he made. The greaves he wore were not of good quality, probably a weak iron alloy, but then again it was doubtful that the knife given to the other convict was of any better caliber. Taking a few deep breaths, focusing, he found the balance he'd as first struggled to achieve wearing the shackles, now ready for any advance the other man could make._

_As usual, the noble's silence only served to anger Spike. "I'm going to enjoy this! I'm going to fucking love making you beg for mercy, pretty boy!"_

"_Begin!" The command from the announcer echoed in his ears before it was driven out by the blood thirsty cries of the audience. It had to have been noon on the dot for them to call the fight to start, but none of it concerned the young Duke, as his senses were tuned to every aspect of his opponent. Spike wouldn't be able to do anything without him seeing it fast enough to counter, and for once he would be able to take the offensive._

_The serial killer had made his first mistake before ever leaving his cell and that was that he assumed Regal would not fight back allowing himself to be killed. His second mistake branched off his first, since he was certain that the Duke would not fight back at all, he charged at the other prisoner with the blade poised in his right hand to strike. Spike was easily taken in by the cries of the crowd, by his anger, and by all the instincts that had made him a killer. His one goal was to spill the nobleman's blood. He'd imagined it for so long now that he was more than eager to plunge his weapon into the flesh of his cellmate. It was in this frenzy that he made his third mistake, that being he came within his opponent's range with his guard down. _

"_Spin Kick!"_ _Regal had planted his left foot, whirling on it in a full circle to give his right leg full momentum. He was careful of the dagger, even though the element of surprise was his as he kicked Spike square in the face throwing the serial killer to the ground. The simple move had been more than effective, as it had Spike on his back in the dirt instantly, though it did not shake the man's grip on the dagger._

_Spike laughed, bitterly, making it to his knees and swiping at his jaw with his free hand only to find the blow had split his lip. How odd it seemed that the first blood went to the Duke. Eyes now narrowed, he scrambled to his feet, tossing the blade back up to his left hand. "Oh, I see, now you're going to fight me? Afraid to die, your lordship? Afraid of what I'm going to do to you?" _

_The Duke stared at him evenly, his stoic mask the same one that Spike had been trying to break for weeks. It enraged the serial killer that even now the young noble could be so calm, could ignore him, and could pretend that he didn't exist. He was gritting his teeth, panting, fuming as he clenched his hand around the dagger's worn hilt, and the yelling in the stands thundered in his ears. Spike snapped. He became a snarling enraged beast, lunging at the other prisoner without thought._

_Regal timed it just right, bending his knees, waiting until the last possible second to evade the knife. Spike could do nothing as the Duke went into a back flip, left leg extended ever so slightly so that as his body made an arc in the air his armored calf struck the hand that held the knife. It was tossed into the air as the blue haired fighter landed with absolute ease. "Crescent Moon."_

_He gave Spike no time to recover, crouching again, then jumping into the air at the convict, throwing out his left leg at the other murderer. "Swallow Kick."_

"_Argh!"_ _Crashing into the dirt once more, Spike rolled a few feet, stunned and ending up on his stomach. The roar of their audience tripled causing the serial killer to clamber back up in spite of the pain, teeth clenched while his nearly bulging eyes searched for his dagger. It had fallen behind where the Duke stood observing him more like a statue than a man prepared for a battle to the death. Again he swiped at the blood on his chin, sneering with mockery. "Good…I wanted you to fight back…that'll make killing you so much more satisfying!"_

_When Spike sprang at him again, Regal had thought it was to attack him head on unarmed, he had not been anticipating the other man to suddenly pivot to the left, running around him to where the knife had landed upon the earth. Spike dove for it, rolled back onto his feet, and whirled. The noble had miscalculated, had guessed what he would do wrong, so he was not fast enough to turn to keep his opponent if view or stop the blade from slashing through his shoulder. Managing to keep his face emotionless, to not even wince as the pain coursed up from the injury, Regal kicked Spike in the chest throwing the other killer back._

"_You're not going to get me, Bryant." The serial killer snarled, enjoying the sight of blood seeping out of the noble's wound. "I'm a real killer; I didn't just murder some girl like you! Fight me all you like, I am still going to make you scream for me in the end!"_

_Spike had been making all of the first moves, the Duke saw that, knew he could use it to his advantage. Ignoring the searing pain in his shoulder, Regal ran at his cellmate, knowing it would surprise Spike and that it would make him instinctively lash out to defend. That was what the other prisoner tried to do, slashing at air as suddenly it was as if Regal had disappeared. "Mirage."_

"_What the--" _

"_Rising Dragon!"_ _The blow came from behind, a powerful spinning jump kick tossing Spike into the air. He lost his grip on the dagger when he tumbled to the ground hard. From where he lay on his side, he could see the Duke kick the weapon much further out of his reach, stepping forward slowly._

_Refusing to let it end like this and spitting the blood from his mouth, he climbed back to his feet once again, putting up his fists even though he could barely see straight. Each hit he had taken had been powerful. When had the noble ever been capable of something like this? Rage surged through all of his senses as he glared at the other man. "Do you know how many people I've killed? _Huh_? And you think you can beat me? You've only killed one girl! One pathetic girl!"_

_Once more he lunged for the nobleman swinging a punch for the other fighter's head that didn't connect. Regal brought his knee up into Spike's gut seconds before the man could hit him, knocking the wind out of him, executing another Spin Kick to force him back further. Recklessly the serial killer just dug his heals in and came charging in again, throwing the same fist at the Duke's face. The nobleman side stepped to dodge it, but that gave Spike the opening he wanted, for his other hand had reached out grabbing hold of the shackles that bound his cellmate's wrists. This time when he threw a punch, it connected, as Regal had no room to dodge and he had been startled to have been caught so unaware. _

_Spike then threw the Duke to the ground as hard as he could, scrambling over to where the dagger had been discarded. A knife had always been his weapon of choice, he always used one on his victims, and this fight would be no different. When he turned back to the nobleman, weapon in hand, the crowd began to roar. The King was on his feet. Regal wasn't getting up. Why wasn't the man getting up? When he'd been thrown to the ground, dirt had been rubbed into the open wound on his shoulder, but that shouldn't have kept him from getting back up. _

"_Knew you wouldn't last long, Bryant."_ _Spike muttered as he approached, laughing to himself. This was his final mistake._

_As soon as the serial killer was only a few feet away, Regal's left leg shot out in one sweep, again tossing the dagger away. Spike was stunned, unable to react as the Duke got up, as the noble lunged at him. The second Swallow Kick that connected with Spike's chest shattered a rib, while the Rising Dragon broke his jaw. A combination of Spin Kick and Crescent Moon threw the brunette man across the arena, where he landed on his right arm wrong and it snapped like a frail twig. _

_The audience was chanting for the Duke to finish it as he walked slowly over to his fallen opponent. Spike had made his life miserable for so long, had tormented him, and had taunted him. Regal had endured all of it in silence, had never so much as made a face when he was being harassed, but this had not been about retribution or revenge._

_Spike was trying to get up, until a large boot practically came crashing down on his busted rib. The only cry of pain heard in the arena came from Spike, and he writhed, helpless under the heel of the very man he had been beating on for weeks. Empty, emotionless, azure eyes stared down at him, as if waiting for something. All around them the people in the stands were screaming for the Duke to finish him off, for it to be ended in blood, but the noble didn't move. He stared at Spike until the crowd began to quiet down in bewilderment, unsure of what was going on or why Regal was hesitating. _

_In a tone as hollow as his gaze, in a voice that could only come from a broken man, Regal pressed his heel down on the serial killer's chest as he hissed out, "Her name…was Alicia."_

_And then he walked away. He turned, ignoring the uproar the crowd was in, as it had been the same way for the last six of his matches when he refused to kill the other fighter, and stalked back over to the stunned guards. Regal had never even looked out into the stands, but he had known that the King had been watching, he'd known that the Pope had been as well. He tried not to think about it as he was taken back inside, the greaves stripped off his legs, and he was led back into the bowls of the dungeon._

_Within an hour of his shoulder being tended to the Duke was assigned to a new cell. Within two hours, Levin heard of Regal's victory over Spike. _

Victorious, I stepped back into the competitor's waiting room, finding that the guard that had been blocking off the door to the dungeon was gone. The other challengers waiting for their matches in the arena had congregated on the far side of the room, two men verbally battling with their loud voices and wild tales for everyone else's attention. I could not have asked for a better distraction.

I silently passed through the door, careful to leave it unlocked for when we exited that way, then sped down the stairs. It was easier not to think about the countless times I'd been escorted up and down those steps if I was moving quickly, forcing my focus upon the task at hand.

The barred gate leading into the prison was unlocked, and there were no guards that I could see. I searched the nearby cells, looking for a woman with turquoise hair as Colette had described, until I came to the end of the first corridor. The last cell had a young woman inside dressed in a lab coat, her turquoise hair tied up in a tight bun.

"Kate?" I said softly to get her attention but not alert anyone that might discover my presence.

She looked up in surprise, straightening her glasses before she approached the bars. Her expression was cautious, and I saw her eyes flicker down onto my shackles more than once. "Why are you here?"

I spotted a ring of keys hung up on the wall far beyond the reach of anyone held in a cell, taking them and trying to find the one that one would free her. Five keys into the dozen I managed to open the cage that held her, swinging open the door and offering her my hands to lead her back out of the prison. "I've come to rescue you. Lloyd is waiting. Now, give me your hand…"

Kate did not move, she only glanced away from me. "Thank you, but…it's all right."

"I cannot allow that." I reached again to take hold of her hand and she made no move to stop me. "It is my duty to bring you back."

"…All right." She hesitantly nodded, following my lead out of the cell and beginning out of the prison. Kate glanced back when we passed through the barred gate on the way out, causing me to wonder. The charges against her were partly false, as she'd had no choice but to harbor Lloyd, Zelos, Colette, and Presea for that short time, but I didn't think that was why she had, at first, seemed wiling to accept her punishment anyway. Did she feel guilty for more that she had done, namely, what she had done to Presea? Was that why she'd been willing to die?

That was something I could relate to, feeling as if death were the only punishment that fit my crimes. But Presea had not shunned me, none of the others had, for what I had done. As I took Kate with me into the waiting room unnoticed, I realized the reason that they had wanted to save her. They would not shun her either

Using the Blue Candle we were able to venture through the Temple of Darkness with relative ease considering we still had to contend with monsters and collect the five pieces of the scattered Summon Spirit. That was not nearly as challenging as facing Shadow himself. With powerful attacks and deadly accuracy Shadow fought, using the skills of his element with such ease it was like how a human would breathe. Fortunately, Raine's light skills were devastating to him in combination with the blows the rest of us delivered.

Sheena had yet another pact. We'd discussed just before the battle that our last fight would be with the Spirits of Light, as Aska did not reside with Luna in the Tower of Mana in Sylvarant. I was curious as to what we could do about that, but even so my thoughts kept wandering back to the arena, to the battles that I'd fought there recently as well as long ago.

Perhaps I had not been the only one preoccupied with that matter. As we neared the exit of the Temple, prepared to set out for Sylvarant as that was where we would make the final pact, Zelos came up along side of me with Sheena. The red headed Chosen was grinning as he pat me on the back of the shoulder. "To think the arena and the prison were connected… Good job, Regal!"

I knew he was just being kind, praising me for coming up with an idea when we'd been stuck on what to do, but even so I flinched internally at his words. The only reason I had been privy to that knowledge was because I'd once been a prisoner in that dungeon myself. I had known how to save Kate because I was a murderer that had served time in the prison for my crime, I had fought in that arena for my life, and that was not something to be proud of. Turning my eyes to the ground, I shook my head. "It was a shameful thing that I knew that."

Sheena grinned up at me brightly after catching my gaze. "Well, but thanks to that, we were able to rescue Kate, so don't worry about it."

How something like that could be brushed off so easily I didn't know. Perhaps the others did not see me as a criminal, or as a killer, but there really as no denying what I was. My past was not exactly something to take pride in anymore no matter how useful it had been or who had been saved by a tidbit of knowledge I possessed.

Oblivious to this, the Chosen of Tethe'alla laughed, clapping me on the shoulder again, his grin even wider. "Even if you searched all of Tethe'alla, you wouldn't find another noble who's got connections to high society, big business, and the jail cell."

He was right. I was probably one of the only noblemen that existed with such connections, such ties to both ends of the spectrum. While he didn't mean it as an insult, I could not help but take it as one. I once again had to look away, a deep frown pulling at my lips.

Sheena saw this, instantly jumping to my defense, slapping Zelos in the arm. When he turned to her in question with a yelp, rubbing his newly acquired bruise, she glared at him pointedly and said through her teeth, "Hey, hey, Zelos, knock it off!"

"…A truly…shameful thing." I whispered.

"Regal, I didn't mean it like that." Zelos insisted, still rubbing his arm and trying to meet my gaze so that his eyes could convey his apology.

Sighing, I took a deep breath when we finally made it out of the dismal temple, out into the sunlight and fresh air that was most welcome after hours in almost complete darkness. I couldn't help but shake my head at the fact that while Zelos had been trying to praise me, all I could do was feel the sting of the insults he hadn't meant to deliver. I couldn't deny that I was in fact in a strange situation with my status, but couldn't I at least take comfort in the fact that what I had known had saved a woman's life?

As Lloyd released the Rheairds from the Wing Pack, Presea turned around, and our gazes met. She had wanted to save Kate, in spite of what the young half elf had done to her; she had wanted to rescue her from a cruel end. After what I had taken from the young ax woman, the least I could do was help her now with whatever goals she had. Going into the coliseum had done that. As shameful as the knowledge was, it had helped me begin to atone for what I had done to Presea.

Dirk had insisted that when we came to him looking for an Exsphere Shard to aid us in reviving the Linkite tree, that we all spend the night. With how far we had come, from our discovery in Volt's temple that we could divide the worlds to stop them from competing for each other's mana to now facing our last pact once we could contact Aska, it gave us time to reflect. We had already realized before, while leaving the Temple of Earth, that if we split the worlds, we might just split up our group. Now that we were prepared to fight for the last pact, that realization seemed to truly hit.

Tomorrow could quite possibly be the day that each of us had to decide which world we would stay in. What made it harder was knowing that it was highly unlikely we would all choose to reside in the same world, so we would most likely be dividing our group as well.

Lloyd had gone off with Colette to talk, and Genis was not far behind. The Professor, after a moment, trailed after them, whether because he was curious as to what they might talk about or because she felt the need to keep an eye on them, I'm not sure. But their departure had left four of us in Dirk's small sitting room; Sheena, Zelos, Presea, and myself. The four of us that originally came from Tethe'alla were the ones left.

There was a silence that fell between us that I found all too odd. When had I become accustomed to Lloyd always chatting with someone, a good deal of the time Colette, or Zelos' constant flirting with the females of the group, or in turn, Sheena yelling at Zelos for his lecherous ways. Hadn't I been used to quiet? When had that changed?

"Now we're finally down to the last Summon Spirit." Sheena sighed out after it seemed she could no longer stand the quiet either.

"We from Tethe'alla will have to think about what we're going to do now." I nodded, leaning back against the cushions of the armchair I'd been relaxing in. It seemed that all of us were weighing the decision heavily even if it was difficult to think about. In the time we'd spent together, we'd all become close, even I had to admit it. They were my friends, the first I'd had in years.

"In other words, whether we're going to remain in Sylvarant or Tethe'alla." Zelos sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, his smile fading.

"I…don't care which one I'm in." Presea looked away from us, her ankles crossed and her hands clasped tightly in her lap. She was seated next to the ninja on the couch, her expression blank, and her soft voice void of anything that would express how she truly felt about this situation. "I'm alone in either world."

"I…think I'll be moving to Sylvarant along with the people of Mizuho." Sheena said after a moment, chewing her lip. She did not seem if she was completely sure that that was what she wanted, maybe because she was close to the others.

"I…hmmm." Zelos considered what he was going to say again, pausing. "Sylvarant is kind of inconvenient, but I think Tethe'alla would be more peaceful without me."

_They…might all stay here…_

"…That leaves me as the only one attached to Tethe'alla." I bit my lip. I could be the only one that stayed in the world the four of us had come from. All of the friends I'd made might stay in Sylvarant, and I would go back to the world I'd always known. What sort of choice did I have when technically I was still supposed to be serving a life sentence? But there was more than that. The ties that held me to my home world were deeper, linked to bittersweet memories instead of laden with guilt.

Sheena frowned, catching my expression. "I don't know. I think we have all sorts of attachments. We still have some time. We should all think carefully."

"…Yeah." Zelos nodded.

_My decision is made. Even if I can't go home exactly…I can't leave Tethe'alla._

_I can't leave her…her memory…all of the memories…_

_Alicia stepped off the elevator and into the spacious office carrying the packed lunch that Sanji had given her, a warm smile on her face. She had been looking forward to joining Regal for their usual afternoon meal all week because the Duke had been away at court in Meltokio for the past seven days and this would be her first chance to see him since he'd left. But as soon as her gaze fell on the company president seated at his desk, she stopped, frozen in her tracks._

_There was something wrong, she could see it instantly. It was not in his appearance, as he was dressed in an evergreen suit with a light green under shirt and the dark green tie had already been discarded on the desk. His hair was also immaculate, bangs gelled back to stay out of his gaze with the length tied back at the nape of his neck. And it wasn't in the state of the room, because as always, Regal's office was neat and organized. The reason she knew that something was wrong was the blank stare the Duke had fixed upon a piece of paper in his hand that he was clutching so tight his knuckles were stark white. Quietly, she took a step forward. "Master Regal?"_

_He didn't respond and that caused her to worry even more. So as not to startle him, she quietly approached the desk, set down the lunch, and then walked around to the other side of the large oak structure in the hopes he would notice her. But he hadn't even blinked._

"_Regal?" Placing a hand on his broad shoulder, Alicia leaned down to try to meet his troubled gaze, hoping that perhaps her touch might rouse him out of his trance. "Are you all right?"_

_The page fell from his hand, fluttering down onto the desktop, and then that same hand came up to cover hers, gripping it shakily. She could see that the Duke had set his jaw, that he seemed to be struggling with something, and she wondered what could have been on that paper to have practically frightened the nobleman. It was another long moment before Regal finally rasped breathlessly, "Alicia…oh, Alicia…"_

"_What is it, Regal? What's wrong?" she asked gently to coax him back to her._

"_The letter…that letter…" His eyes fell back on the paper he'd been staring at when she arrived, and for the first time the young woman allowed her gaze to drift over the solitary piece of paper noting the neat handwriting scrawled over it. "That letter was from…Raphael. He must have sent it just after I left for Meltokio. He…he apologized for writing me because…because he knows how I've been keeping my training a secret…but…"_

_All she could do was squeeze his hand, for she knew if she prodded him vocally to continue that he might never get out just what he was trying to tell her._

"…_Master Goatta is gone." Regal murmured as he shut his eyes tight._

"_G-gone?"_ _Alicia stammered, hoping, praying that what those words meant were not what she feared they did. She did not want to think it possible. She did not even want to imagine it. But with how hard it seemed for the Duke to tell her what was going on, how his whole body seemed rigid and tense, were signs she could not ignore._

"_He…he passed away…in his sleep." Her beloved managed to choke out, his head hung, his hand nearly trembling in hers. "Raphael found him. He's sure our Master didn't…didn't suffer…that it was peaceful. And he discovered that Master Goatta made arrangements some time ago for him to train in a different fighting art in another dojo…that Goatta also made sure that I would be welcome there too, if I wished to go. Then he apologized again…because he did not think it wise to tell me in person…"_

"_Oh, Regal…" Tears stung her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him close. Instantly she felt him tense, and it broke her heart that she knew why. No one had been there to comfort him when he'd lost his parents, he'd never had the chance to even mourn them, but now he'd lost someone else and she was there to share the pain. Alicia held him tight, unable to stop herself from crying. Master Goatta had been a wonderful man, a father figure to the Duke, and a friend to the both of them, and she did not want to think him gone._

_Of course she felt her own loss. Goatta had been kind to her, welcomed her, even helped her to see deeper into Regal's soul. But she knew that her young master had to be devastated for he'd lost so much more than just his teacher. Alicia desperately wished that there was more that she could do for him, a better way to comfort him, but all she could do was hold onto him._

_Yet she would never know what it meant to Regal to have her there, and for her to allow him even that moment to be free enough to grieve. _

To be continued

**End notes: **Here we are at the end of the next chapter. I actually finished this one without thinking about it. I'm pretty happy with it, even if I'm running low on stuff from the game. Guess that means I'm getting close to the final chapter, huh? Hope you enjoyed!


	9. Nine

**Title:** On my Honor

**Author:** Yamato795

**Pairing:** Lots of mentions of RegalxAlicia, but no other ones planned at the moment…

**Rating:** Let's go PG-13 to be safe, since they do swear in the game, and the violence.

**Status:** Chapter 9 out of ? parts. Lots planned, but a number is not clear just yet.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Tales of Symphonia. Please don't sue me.

**Spoilers:** A TON, mostly for Regal. I'd say this story is better suited for those who have beaten the game if you ask me. Read at your own risk of spoiling anything. Since it starts where Regal comes in, it should spoil quite a bit of the game after that, don't you think?

**Summary:** Take a look through Regal's eyes as well as a look into his past.

**Author notes: **At this point, I'm really assuming that you've played the game through the end, perhaps even more than once. I am doing my best to tie everything together, but even so what I've chosen for this story that pertains strongly to Regal has some gaps in it. This is why you need to have played the game before, it will fill in the gaps for you. I hope you still enjoy!

On my Honor

Chapter nine

The worlds were not divided when the pact was made with Luna and Aska. Instead the Great Seed went out of control, destroying the city of Palmacosta. It took the power of the Summon Spirits of Tethe'alla to neutralize the threat, but that was only after we had to infiltrate the Iselia Human Ranch and defeat Forcystus, the Cardinal in charge of that ranch. Yet, even after his clash with Lloyd and the group that had gone to the core to shut down the reactor the Desian Cardinal was not finished for he tried to kill Lloyd again in spite of his injuries. He also lashed out when he discovered Kratos had helped us even though he was part of Cruxis. He aimed his arm cannon for Chocolat, because she was human and thus to him, untrustworthy.

Colette jumped in front of the girl taking the blow. It incinerated the sleeve of her shirt and revealed a crystal-like growth on her arm and shoulder. She was sick because of her Cruxis Crystal. After staying with Dirk in Iselia for the night even though the dwarf did not know really anything about the stone making the blond Chosen ill, we left for Altessa's.

Altessa knew the name of Colette's sickness but not how to help her. He suggested that we try to find something in the libraries of Sybak. Our search there told us that our chances of finding a cure lay sealed in the sealed archives in the palace where the documents pertaining to Mithos the Hero and the Kharlan War were kept. But to see such documents we would need permission from the King, a king who saw us as a threat and as fugitives. Even so, we had to try for Colette's sake, so we left for Meltokio.

To enter the Imperial City we had to venture through the sewers. I couldn't help but reflection on how different it was to walk through the underground passages as a member of the group I'd once waited here to ambush. It was dark in the tunnels, and so we had to proceed carefully. I stayed at the back of our party keeping a look out for monsters even as we began to approach the same staircase that I'd surprised them at not long ago.

Lloyd and the others stopped when they rounded the corner to the stairs and I stopped when I heard an unfamiliar voice from the staircase. "This is the money."

There were two shadowy figures on the steps, one in armor, and the other obscured by the poor lighting. The one in armor moved to give something to the figure I couldn't make out from where I stood.

"Yup. It's all there. Hehehehe…" That voice was strikingly familiar, and it held me frozen in place as I struggled to put together just what they were talking about.

"How long before the King is dead?" The man in armor sounded impatient.

"Probably another month or so with this poison," was the reply that flared a sudden anger through me. Someone was poisoning His Majesty? Who would have the audacity to do that? And why was I certain I knew that slimy voice of the man who was selling the poison?

_No…it couldn't be…_

"It takes a while." The armored man practically groaned. Neither shaded figure seemed to have noticed our presence, even though the others were standing at the end of the steps.

"I've been told to make it look like he died from an illness. It's slow, but he'll die for sure." The deep voice struck another cord in me. "Tell His Eminence, the Pope, to wait just a bit longer."

"I see," Zelos murmured quietly to the group. "I knew there was something wrong when the normally healthy King got sick."

"What are we gonna do, Lloyd?" Genis hissed to the swordsman.

I could make out the brunette teen's grin. "Isn't it obvious? If we save the King…"

"He'll be in our debt." Raine finished for him. "Let's go."

Sheena shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose, a sort of objection to the ulterior motives the others were displaying. "Why can't they just say they'll save him?"

I could understand what Sheena meant, but at the same time if the King was in our debt we could access the archives. Besides, I was certain that I knew the voice of the man selling the poison and I had to confirm if I was correct or not. I stepped around the corner to stand at the end of the staircase. The movement caused the man in armor to take notice.

"Who's there?" He and his shadowy companion turned to see us.

"It's the Chosen." Zelos knew the weight of that title, and the authority it carried even compared to that of the Pope.

"Damn, it's Zelos!" In this light I could see it was one of the Pope's soldiers that had come to fetch more of the poison.

"What?" his companion gasped, moving into his light.

"It's you, Vharley!" I should have known! I should have seen it. On the Sky Terrace before I'd told the other's about my part in Alicia's death, Vharley had said that seen the King would die and the Pope would seize control. Of course he would say something like that if he had been plotting to aid in His Majesty's death all along! I glared at him in the dim light clenching my hands into fists.

Behind me I heard Presea gasp.

"Damn, I can't have people knowing about the assassination." Vharley growled out as he shoved the soldier towards the passage out. He then began to reach for a knife concealed on his belt. "Die here!"

"…Be quiet." I practically snarled as I moved to block his path if he intended to strike any of the others. When I started to approach, he began to back away, up the steps. Perhaps he was starting to realize how out numbered he was.

"…I won't forgive you!" Presea ground out through her teeth as she balanced her ax in hands, stalking to my side. Again, Vharley backed up, now at the top of the staircase. The Exsphere broker's eyes scanned over all of us as the sound of weapons being drawn echoed off the sewer walls, and it seemed to dawn on him that while he couldn't let anyone know about the assassination attempt, his chanced of defeating all eight of us on his own were slim to none.

Scrambling backwards, the stout man whirled around to make a break for the exit. Instantly, the muscles in my legs coiled so that I could chase after him, but an eruption of smoke in front of him halted my movements. Sheena had used a smoke bomb to block his chances of escape, glaring at him in challenge.

"You're not going anywhere!" the ninja remarked sharply with her eyes narrowed.

Vharley's eyes darted between the summoner and back to the rest of us. He could see now that he was trapped, even if he wanted to stop us from spreading word about the assassination attempt he was far too outnumbered to keep his secret. Desperate, he lunged, knife read to swipe at his target for perhaps his only chance to strike before any of us moved to take him down. The Exsphere broker had lunged at Presea.

There was no hesitation, no thought, behind my right leg sweeping out, catching in his round chin. Instinct had taken over, the need to protect Presea causing me to forget for just a moment that she was more than capable of defending herself. I spun on my left leg again with ease, this time my right foot slamming into his hand to knock the knife from his grasp.

Even dazed and unarmed, Vharley sprung at Presea again. It might have been because he blamed her for this, because he had to have known she was stronger than he was and that she would not hesitate to retaliate, but whatever the case he seemed to focus on her. I would have kicked out again to knock him back so that he did not lay a hand on her, but I saw from the corner of my eye that the girl's large ax was already in motion.

"Resolute Infliction!" Two upward cuts tore through Vharley's torso splattering blood over the stone walkway. When the Exsphere broker stumble back, Presea's eyes narrowed before she whirled around in a circle with her weapon held out to strike again. "Finality Punishment!"

"Argh!" Vharley collapsed to the ground in a bloated mass, blood seeping from his wounds. He cringed when he heard Presea and I stalk closer. He knew what was coming, what had been trying to catch up to him for eight long years, and he feared the punishment he would receive for his crimes. At one time I had wanted to see this man rot in prison for his hand in Alicia's death, but now I'd learned of his part in the experiments done on my beloved's sister and that he was helping the Pope poison the King of Tethe'alla. There would be no redemption for this man. He felt no guilt, no shame, for all he'd done.

"I'm going to die here?...You've…got to be…kidding me…" the Exsphere broker wheezed as blood dribbled down his lip. "I'm going…to die…here like…that damned…Alicia?..."

The flash of anger that ignited my blood was almost enough to have me attack him again. When Vharley had attacked Presea again I had thought that perhaps the best course of action would be to let her fight him. Alicia was her sister, her family, and this was the only retribution I could offer her for her older sister's death without laying down my own life at her feet. Yet when that vile, underhanded shell of a human being dared to insult the woman I loved I nearly ended his life myself.

"Don't insult Alicia!" Presea hissed, swinging her ax so that the blunt edge hit Vharley in the temple. It was far too merciful that he was unconscious instead of in pain as he laid there bleeding to death.

"So there was a link between the Pope and Rodyle of the Five Grand Cardinals." Lloyd murmured after a long stretch of silence.

Sheena walked over to join us once again, her gaze downcast as she returned her cards to her sash. "The Pope is connected to Kuchinawa as well."

"The Exspheres in Tethe'alla passed from Vharley to Rodyle, and the experiments related to Cruxis Crystal were passed from Rodyle to Vharley and ultimately the Pope." Raine commented easily finding the logical links between the cruel, cold hearted men that had all found a way to negatively touch our lives.

Zelos ran his fingers through his hair, chewing his lip as he glanced at the passage out that the Pope's henchman had fled through. "The Pope probably asked them to assassinate the King in exchange for his cooperation."

"Insolence!" I growled. The Pope had been manipulating so many lives, hurting so many people, just to gain a throne that he had no right to. What sort of holy man would sully his hands with attempted kidnappings, falsely accusing the Chosen of being a traitor, and even trying to assassinate the King? He had to be stopped. Even he had had a part in Alicia's death if he had authorized the tests that had mutated her body. It was the same in Presea's case.

"All right." Lloyd clenched a fist and motioned to the ladder that led out of the sewers. "Let's go get the Pope!"

Genis, Colette, and Sheena were right on the young swordsman's heels as he ran for the exit in the hopes that we might still be able to catch the Pope off guard. Zelos and Raine were not far behind them. I hesitated, my gaze falling upon the body of the man that I had despised for so long and so deeply.

For perhaps the first time in eight years, I breathed easily, with a weight tumbling off my shoulders. I spoke without realizing I was doing so out loud. "…I've finally accomplished my goal of so many years…"

"…What will you do now?" The voice of the small pink haired girl at my side made me aware that she had not hurried off with the others and she had heard what I'd said. While her expression was almost completely blank, there was a glimmer of curiosity and perhaps what could have been concern. It was gone before I could be sure, but it made me wonder if she was actually worried that my journey would end there now that Vharley was dead.

"For the sake of Lloyd and the others who aided me in my revenge, and for Alicia's sake as well, I shall assist in what meager ways I can to eliminate Cruxis." I said softly as I gestured for her to follow me after our friends out of the underground passageways. I had come this far with them, and given my word to Alicia not to remove my bonds until those who toyed with Exspheres were defeated, so how could I turn my back on them now? While all I could really do was help them fight, at least that was something. That, and I still had yet to take Lloyd's advice and talk to Presea about her sister.

"…Yes." She seemed to agree with my decision, and it might have even helped her with her own as well. Already she'd defeated Rodyle, and now that Vharley was dead she could walk away if she thought her part in the journey was complete. "Defeating Vharley does not mean that everything is over."

"In fact…" I stopped as we came to the ladder. "It may just be the beginning."

In confusion, she tilted her head to the side. "Beginning?"

I nodded. "A new beginning…for the sake of turning our eyes from the past, and toward the future."

Presea considered this, her hands clenching and unclenching the length of her black skirt. She had taken down Rodyle, who had been behind the experiments, and Vharley, who had not only had a hand in what had been done to her but her sister's end as well, but perhaps she did not see it as the end of her revenge. I still remained. While she had promised Alicia to try to forgive me, was she really obligated to do so? After a moment, she glanced up at the ladder. "The others are probably waiting…"

"Yes…" I nodded, waiting for her to start up the ladder first while glancing back the way we had come. Perhaps I'd have to wait a while longer to talk to her, but I needed to speak to her about Alicia. I wanted her to not only know her sister, but to maybe, in some way, make up for the fact that she could not talk to Alicia herself.

I'd helped bring down Vharley, yet that wasn't the end. While I'd had revenge that would not redeem me of my crimes, that was not possible. What path I had to take now was my choice, and while I knew it wouldn't be easy, I wanted to go the way of atonement. There was no way that I could ever make up for what I had done, but I couldn't spend my life trying. The first step would be to talk to Presea. The next depended on her decision about me. I just had to hope that during our fight with Cruxis I would have the chance to attempt to reach out to her.

"Hey, Regal, let's go!" Lloyd called down to me.

Taking a deep breath, I started up after them. First, we had to stop the Pope from assassinating the King from the shadows. After that I would just have to wait for my chance and play the rest by ear.

_I'm trying, Alicia, I just hope that it's enough._

To cure Colette, we needed to collect the items needed to create a Rune Crest for her Cruxis Crystal. One of the items that would be the easiest to get would be the Zircon. Fortunately, at one time, the Lezareno Company shipped Zircon to different locations, so if we obtained past shipping records we could find some for the Rune Crest easily enough. Relieved to be on our way with our fugitive status lifted thanks to some quick thinking by Zelos and a little acting on the part of Colette, we headed for Altamira.

On the way it was easy to see that Lloyd's sullen mood had lifted a bit since we knew what to do to save Sylvarant's Chosen. When we touched down on the island he strode up to me with a big grin. "Say, isn't it hard to balance when your hands are bound together?"

I was a bit surprised with his question that relatively came out of nowhere, but nodded all the same. "It was difficult at first. I fell on numerous occasions."

Lloyd grinned with his head tilted to the side. He laughed, running his red gloved fingers through his spiked brown hair, and he looked me up and down one more time before he shook his head in what could have been disbelief. "That's hard to imagine. I can't see you falling."

"Really?" I couldn't help but laugh along with him, wondering why he couldn't see me falling while trying to fight in handcuffs. Was it because he'd seen my skills now or because he knew me to be a Duke, a noble that was supposed to be graceful and refined? "But it all comes down to getting used to it and training your lower body. Even if you have a sense of balance, it's useless if your muscles are unable to react."

"So that's why you're so buff." He smirked a bit before he looked down at his own arms and legs. "I wonder if I'll get more muscles if I train a lot."

I held my chin, smiling back at him. "Hmmm. Then would you like to do some early morning training with me?"

His features instantly lit up with the enthusiasm he was known for, even if it was then usually coupled with a short attention span and then boredom. At the very least Lloyd understood that if he was going to reunite the worlds, he would need to be stronger, and I doubted that even his short attention span would keep him from working at that. "Yeah! So what time should I wake up?"

"Usually a little after four." I told him. I'd grown accustomed over the years to such early training, for whatever reason. Waking up so close to dawn was routine for me, I'd even been doing so over the journey, taking the last watch so I could practice at the same time.

"…Uh, forget it." Holding up his hands in surrender, Lloyd backed away from me, then sped up to fall into step next to Genis near the front of the group. For once it wasn't boredom that had claimed Lloyd's interest and excitement about something. This time it had been his love of sleeping in.

I couldn't help but grin as we entered the city, instantly becoming part of the flow of tourists. When Zelos tried to stop to flirt with a girl, Sheena slapped him upside the head and reminded him why we had come all that way. Colette had looked a bit uncomfortable at the reminder that we were looking for items to cure her, but a smile from Lloyd and Genis as they stepped onto the car of the Elemental Railway seemed to brighten her spirits.

It was strange to once again enter the Lezareno Company headquarters as if nothing changed, and the employees did not seem at all surprised to see me back again. The receptionist flashed me a bright smile as she informed me that George was in the President's office on the third floor. The guards at the sides of the elevator even gave me a cordial nod as we passed them to board the lift.

George blinked in surprise to see me, as I was the first one off of the elevator, but he was quick to flash me a welcoming smile.

"Is everything running smoothly?" I couldn't resist asking even though I knew we were there for a purpose other than the dealings of the company, because this company had been in my family for generations. Lezareno had always been a part of my life. I'd been raised to run it.

"Yes, the business is. However, the sealed Exsphere mine was raided by someone," my old servant informed me as his grin quickly faded into a frown and he straightened his tie. His posture had suddenly shrunk, closed in on itself, and I took it as a sign that he didn't really want to tell me what was going on. "We believe it was the work of Vharley, but fortunately it appears access to the core area was prevented."

No one could enter the core area without my voice print and cornea scan, a security measure that had been thwarting the Exsphere broker for years. Had Vharley tried again to breach the security system and failed since we had encountered him in the Toize Valley Mine? Either way, he hadn't reached the Exspheres, and for that I could be grateful.

"So it would seem." I murmured with a nod. "But it's safe to assume that there will be no more trouble of that nature. Vharley is dead."

George's eyes went wide as he took a small step backwards. "Are you certain of this!"

"In other words," Zelos remarked with a roll of his eyes at the elder man's surprise, running his fingers through his long red hair. A grin curled his lips as he glanced from me to the pink haired young woman. "Alicia was avenged, through the actions of Regal and Presea."

"I see…this is good news." George commented after a moment of taking the news in. Gripping his chin, he let his eyes rove over Presea first, and then he met my gaze evenly with a tilt of his head. "Are you here just to report this information?"

"…No." I was a bit put off by his question, trying to ignore the feeling that George seemed ready to have us leave. He was changing the subject a bit pointedly, so I supposed it was best not to delay any longer considering this was only our first stop on finding the items to create a Rune Crest. "I have other business. I want to take a look at the records concerning past mining operations. Please unlock the door to the archives."

"Documents concerning past mining operations should be in the left room of the second floor archive." He replied after he gestured to one of his assistants to go unlock the door.

"I see." I nodded, gesturing to Lloyd to follow after the young man that had gone ahead to open the vast archive of the company for us. The young man shrugged and then led the way back to the lift, the others beginning to follow one by one until I was left alone with the man that had served my family for several years. "Thank you."

I heard the elevator return, so I started for the door, but George's tentative voice caused me to stop and turn back to him.

"So Vharley is truly dead?"

His interest in the matter struck me as odd, but then again the last time I had been to Altamira the Exsphere broker had been leaning on my former servant for access to the mines. George was probably relieved that Vharley would not be coming back or trying to ransack the mines. "Yes. Vharley is dead."

Again adjusting his tie, he glanced to the side, away from me. "I see. So…by your own two hands Vharley was…I'm sure Alicia is happy as well."

While his words were probably meant to be kind, comforting, I couldn't help but press my lips together while bawling my hands into fists. It was not really by my hands that Vharley was dead, and yet I'd had my part in it, wanted it, and had done other underhanded things to achieve revenge. No matter when in her life it had been, Alicia would never have approved or wanted something like what had happened in the sewers. And George, who'd assumed she would, had never known her, or tried to, well enough to make such an assumption.

"No. Alicia would not be happy about such a thing. And…" I shook my head, my eyes trailing over to the desk where I had sat and talked with my beloved over the years. No matter if I'd gotten revenge or not, no matter if I'd brought him to justice or not, there was no way to get back the one thing I wanted most. "…Even after accomplishing my revenge, Alicia is not coming back. The only thing left now is emptiness."

"Master Regal…" George started but didn't finish. I walked right past him to the elevator, pushing the thoughts and images of my coming moments void of the woman I loved from my mind.

_There was nothing he could do but panic. George had known that Regal would take the girl's departure badly, that he might have to argue with the younger man, but he never expected anything like the confrontation in the servants' chambers to happen. Nearly eight years ago he had fired the entire staff of the Bryant mansion to begin isolating the Duke, and at the time Regal had only offered a few words of protest before conceding. George had figured that his master would be upset, that Miss Combatir's removal would anger him, but he'd been sure that the noble would just take it in stride and move on as he had the last time._

_Instead Duke Bryant had lashed out. He'd even gotten violent, not to the degree that some might have, but George had never before seen Regal so enraged. What made things even worse for the old servant was that now his job was on the line, for without Alicia, he would face the wrath of his employer. At this point he feared what the nobleman might do to him if he did not bring back the girl as ordered._

_The only problem was that he had given the girl to Vharely, and that slimy Exsphere broker was not going to be happy when he learned of these new developments. But Vharely would just have to make do, because if George was fired Vharely would lose the only tie he had to the Lezareno mines._

_So what could he tell the Duke? That Alicia had been sent by her family to Vharely in light of her sudden unemployment? How would Regal react to that? Could Vharely use the situation to finally secure them control of the mines, and that in turn would finally get the Exsphere broker out of George's hair? Perhaps if the Duke had to confront Vharely over Alicia's return the situation would come out that either Vharely or Regal would finally be out of his way. The Duke was very angry about Alicia being taken away, what if George could redirect that anger at Vharely? George had no idea the outcome of this predicament, but he could only hope that in the end he would be the one to gain._

To be continued

**End notes: **I have to say, I enjoyed this. Vharley is a character that I can't stand considering all the things he does. I apologize that it is short, but I feel like I'm speeding towards the end of the game as well as to the climatic ending of this story. I guess you'll have to stick around for that though. Hope you enjoyed!


	10. Ten

**Title:** On my Honor

**Author:** Yamato795

**Pairing:** Lots of mentions of RegalxAlicia, but no other ones planned at the moment…

**Rating:** Let's go PG-13 to be safe, since they do swear in the game, and the violence.

**Status:** Chapter 10 out of ? parts. Lots planned, but a number is not clear just yet.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Tales of Symphonia. Please don't sue me.

**Spoilers:** A TON, mostly for Regal. I'd say this story is better suited for those who have beaten the game if you ask me. Read at your own risk of spoiling anything. Since it starts where Regal comes in, it should spoil quite a bit of the game after that, don't you think?

**Summary:** Take a look through Regal's eyes as well as a look into his past.

**Author notes: **As I've said before, you need to have played the game through to the end to understand the following chapter. There are some gaps, but they will not be that noticeable if you know the game. I hope you all enjoy!

On my Honor

Chapter ten

To complete Colette's Rune Crest we needed a fragment of mana, and that meant getting to Derris Kharlan, as we were certain that Cruxis would have one. We already had the other components, and the fragment of mana was the one that we had known from the start would be the most difficult to obtain. I was fairly certain that, as we entered the Tower of Salvation, I was not the only one who hoped we would be wrong.

Unfortunately though, we were correct in that assumption. Kratos appeared, and did not deny the fact that he had once been one of Mithos' companions four thousand years ago. Lloyd was furious when the elder man drew his blade, prepared to fight us. Our young leader had been hoping that since Kratos had helped us infiltrate the Iselia Human Ranch, and had dropped hints on where to look to find a cure for Colette, that perhaps his former companion was not a complete traitor and might actually help us. That was not the case. Weapon drawn, Kratos came at us, engaging us in a furious battle.

He was incredibly strong, unbelievably fast, and what was worse, he seemed to know just how to counter the abilities of the group from Sylvarant, Sheena, and even Zelos. Not only did his angelic powers give him a large advantage, but his advanced skills with a sword extended the gap in our strengths. None of us were willing to give in to him, yet exhaustion and injury were catching up to us while never laying a finger on him.

Other angels appeared then, surrounding us, and the last thing I remember before one of them struck me unconscious was Kratos telling Lloyd, "I would advise against resisting, for there will be no mercy this time."

I woke up to a throb coming from the back of my head. I was a bit surprised to be sitting up with my back to the wall and my legs stretched out before me. Other than the ache in my skull, I was unharmed. Once my eyes focused, I saw that I was not alone, for Lloyd, Genis, and Zelos were nearby. The red clad swordsman was pacing and shaking his head as I climbed to my feet and took in our new surroundings. We'd been placed in a cage, one large enough for the four of us, and from the voices coming from my left I could only assume the women of our party were in a similar situation.

"…Are we still alive?" From the sound of his voice, Lloyd had just come to only minutes before I had. His concerned gaze passed over all of us before he shook his head again.

"Well, it looks like we have our lives at least until they finish preparing Colette's treatment." Zelos sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He was most likely correct that while Sylvarant's Chosen of Mana was ill Cruxis would be distracted with preparing a cure, but once they were finished then our chances of survival became unclear. "Apparently, she's useless the way she is now."

After all their work to cultivate new bodies for Martel, Cruxis was not about to give her one that would eventually turn into a giant Exsphere. They would treat Colette first. Until they did, we had a chance to find a way out and make her a Rune Crest ourselves.

"Maybe we were tricked. He had us gather the materials to treat Colette and then had us bring her here…" Genis ground out through his through his teeth as he scuffed one of his shoes on the floor of the cell. He clenched and unclenched his right hand, the hand that bore his Exsphere. "That sure saved them a lot of time and effort."

"Kratos used us?" Lloyd murmured bitterly with his gaze down cast, leaning his forehead on the bars. "Did he betray us again?"

"Lloyd…" Zelos was unsure what to say to him.

My hands balled into fists as I glanced to the left where our female companions were being held. We'd come here to get the last item we needed to cure Colette, and we'd failed. "…I feel guilty for letting this happen to Colette and the others."

With a small growl, Lloyd kicked the metal barrier as he took a step back and threw up his hands. "I really want to know why I keep getting captured and thrown in jail all the time!"

In spite of everything, the red headed Chosen laughed, one hand going to cover his mouth. "You sure you haven't been doing anything to deserve it?"

While it was frustrating to have been taken captive, the alternative would have been far worse. Kratos could have had us killed instead of taken prisoner. The only one that they needed alive for their plans was Colette, the rest of us were not useful to them as far as I knew. We had been vulnerable and had been spared for the time being. I couldn't stop myself from sighing. "We should just be glad we have our lives."

Lloyd looked over his shoulder to meet my gaze, all traces of his smile from a moment ago gone. "…Well, yeah."

"Hmmm…" Genis stepped up to the bars, looking them over, and then his blue eyes rested on the lock, the device helping hold us in. After a moment, he pivoted his head to catch his best friend's gaze. "Lloyd…you can pick locks, right?"

"Either that I can try to break it and get us out of here!" the brunette teen nodded, hurrying over to the lock to examine it as well. He spent several minutes trying to get it open, yet it seemed none of us considering the level of technology at Cruxis' disposal, something we'd witnessed first hand before.

Lloyd was determined to keep trying. He alternated between trying to break it and trying to coax it open. He removed his gloves, concentrating solely on his task, but it was in vain. After what seemed like a long while he threw up his hands in frustration and then began to pull back on the crimson gloves he'd removed a while ago.

"Dammit! This thing's built as solid as a rock!" He groaned shaking his head. "And I can't open the lock either."

"Same here. It won't budge at all." Sheena called loud enough for us to hear it in the adjacent cell.

"Can Colette or Presea break it?" Even with his enchanced (enhanced) abilities due to his strange Exsphere, Lloyd knew that both the young ax woman and the blonde Chosen were stronger than him.

"Nope…" Colette replied softly.

"…I'm sorry I couldn't be of use." Presea remarked in a sullen tone.

I bit my lip. Our options were running low. It was doubtful that when our captors came for Colette that they would leave any of us alive, save her. Our best chance was to escape before they finished preparing her treatment, but if we could not pick or destroy the lock then what could we do? Even Colette's angelic strength or Presea's enhanced might couldn't free us. What else was powerful enough to get us out?

_Those bars…there's no way they could withstand—_

_No! I swore to never use that technique, or my hands as weapons, again._

_But if I don't the rest of us will be killed while Colette is made Martel's vessel._

What else did we have? If I did not try, wouldn't that be the same as condemning my friends to a horrible end? If what I could do would give us the chance to escape then shouldn't I try?

_I swore never to use my hands as weapons again… I wouldn't be hurting someone I would be saving us…_

_Alicia, forgive me._

"…Move." I ordered them, firmly, not about to waste time now that I'd made up my mind and we didn't know how long we had before they would come for Colette. Zelos raised an eyebrow at me but moved to one side of the cell while Genis and Lloyd stood on the other, watching me curiously.

Crouching a little, I began to gather mana into my hands, pooling it and compressing it until there was a massive amount gathered. Then, after it was there, I held it in for a moment, making sure I had enough. I could not, after so long of not using this technique, waste my first and possibly only shot especially when I was counting on the Exsphere I used to increase the power of the technique. Then I splayed my hands as far as my handcuffs would allow, firing the mana I'd been holding back with force I'd never had behind such an attack before.

When I opened my eyes I saw there was a gaping hole in the bars, but then I had to close my eyes again but this time from the drain of energy on my body. Swaying on my feet, I leaned back against the far wall of the cell for a moment, breathing deep and struggling to adjust to how tired I felt. Exhaustion wasn't something I could afford now.

Forcing myself to push off the wall, I followed Zelos out of our damaged cage, seeing that we would have to take a moving platform to reach the main level of our holding area. Once we crossed the gap, Genis hurried over to a computer and managed to open the cell holding the rest of our group. We met them half way on the platform of the cell, Lloyd moving to help them out even.

Once everyone was safe, the crimson clad swordsman turned to me, one eyebrow raised and grinning. "How did you do that?"

"I originally specialized in fighting with my hands, not my feet," I explained evenly although my eyes were growing heavy and I was ever so slightly swaying on my feet. To use such an attack at that intensity was a large drain on my energy, but I knew we didn't really have a moment to spare. My way of getting us out of the cell had to have set off some sort of alarm, and the minions of Cruxis would hurry to stop Colette from escaping. "And since Exspheres amplify their user's abilities far beyond their maximum limits, this result is to be expected."

"Then why don't you just fight with your hands?" Zelos asked with his head tilted to the side. He'd seen first hand the destructive power I wielded, and perhaps, under other circumstances, his question would have made something inside me cringe.

I had first learned to fight with my hands, even mastered that dying art, but it was the very same technique I'd used to free us that had taken the life of my beloved. Even if fighting with my hands would have been easier, would help me against our enemies, I had sworn to never use my hands as weapons again. I had promised Alicia as well as Lloyd, and my word was my bond. "…I swore to never fight with these hands again. This time, I used them in order to save you, Lloyd. You're going to unite the worlds and save Colette, right?"

"…Yeah, that's right." He nodded after a moment, surprised at my faith in him or still surprised at how I'd destroyed the cell, I couldn't be sure which. Flashing me a smile, he then glanced over the rest of the group. "All right. Everybody grab what you can and let's get out of here!"

"Hey, it looks like they stashed most of our stuff over there!" Genis exclaimed having spotted something that looked like a storage unit on the opposite platform. He, Colette, and Lloyd were the first ones to take the mechanism to the other side.

Raine stepped over to me while the others appeared distracted. "You look exhausted."

"I have not used that attack in years…and never at full power with an Exsphere." I found it strange how easily I could confess something like that to Raine no matter how trustworthy I already considered her. There had never been a lot of people that I could talk about the fighting style I used to practice, not even when I was learning it. But the fact remained that she was a healer, not just a friend, and she was concerned about my well-being. I raised my hands to try to reassure her with a dismissive gesture. "I'll be fine. I just need a few minutes."

She reached into her pocket and produced a Lemon Gel, placing it in my hands after giving me a look. The Professor knew even a rest, which we did not have time for anyway, would not help with the mana drain, just as much as I did. "Thank you for getting us out of there…but hurry up and eat that so your efforts don't go to waste."

"Yes, Professor." The automatic response nearly made her smile as she turned to step onto the platform so that we could all get moving.

I quickly at the gel, feeling it tingle down my throat and then boost my energy level. While I hadn't been completely rejuvenated, I could follow after the others, and I could fight if the need arose, and that was what mattered. We needed to find a way out of this strange place, as well as a fragment of mana for Colette, without getting caught.

"_Master Goatta, what technique is that? The one that Regal is using?" Alicia asked curiously from the elderly man's side with her hands clasped in front of her. She spared a quick glance down at the martial arts master before again focusing on the Duke who was training across the room, pressing his palms together wearing a look of complete concentration. As many times as she had been to the dojo with the nobleman, she was certain she had never before seen Regal pause like that before, then spreading his hands and releasing what could have been a bolt of blinding light. "I've…never seen anything like that before!"_

"_Oh, that…" Goatta's smile was full of pride. "That is the specialty of Dragakendo, a move that is coveted by many other martial artists. It is called the Dragon Fire. Performing that attack requires one to not only gather mana from their body, but to also manipulate the mana in the air around them before launching it in a devastating blast, and because of that, the Dragon Fire is a technique few have mastered, or even dared to try it. Regal has been my only student to learn and perfect it."_

_Alicia had to smile as well watching as the man she loved performed the attack again in spite of the sweat collecting on his brow. Using his own mana in that way was straining, if nothing else, but he appeared completely at ease even when Master Goatta called in Raphael and asked the Duke to spar with the other student. She remembered the time that Regal had explained to her how Dragakendo was a fighting style that specialized in fighting with one's hands. Knowing that, the Dragon Fire made that much more sense considering it was released from the hands, but there was something that she wondered even more that distracted her from the mock battle going on not far away. "Master Goatta, there's something I've always wanted to ask. Maybe you would have an answer for me?"_

"_I might." He nodded._

"_I know what this place means to Master Regal, how much he loves to come here to practice, but," she had to look over at the older man while she wrung her hands together. She didn't mean to pry. "I don't know why he wanted to learn to fight. Did he ever tell you?"_

"_Regal never came to me to learn to fight, not really." The fondness of the man's tone put her more at ease and she could see the sparkle in the gaze he had focused on the sparing students. It had always been obvious to her how much Master Goatta cared for the blue haired nobleman, as he seemed more like a father figure and mentor to the Duke than a strict taskmaster. "He is not a violent man unless he must be; I could see that both of the times he came to me to ask if I would teach him Dragakendo."_

"_He came to you more than once?" She knew that meant the Dragakendo master had said no to her beloved the first time, and she couldn't believe it._

"_Yes. I suppose you could say the first time I spoke to him I was not sure martial arts would help him." The elderly fighter remarked with a small sigh, his expression falling even though not far away Regal had knocked Raphael to the mats with ease. Normally he would have given the teen feedback on how well he'd held his own against the Duke, but something was troubling him as he leaned more onto his cane._

"_Why is that?" She had waited patiently for him to either continue with his recollection or to give more instructions to his students. But the martial arts master seemed so far away that she hoped to at least coax him back even if he would not continue the story. She had always been curious as to why her employer's escape from his hectic life was to fight, but she didn't feel right asking the noble about it even though they'd been seeing each other in secret for quite some time._

"_When he first approached me, Regal was struggling to find a more fitting place for himself in a world that had already assigned him so many roles." Even his voice had grown sad, but his gaze was still fixated on his star pupil, almost with sympathy._

"_Did something happen before Regal came to see you again?" Her question was timid._

"_Unfortunately, my dear._ _The first night that Regal came to me, his parents were involved in an accident that took their lives, leaving him to take their places with no chance to mourn them." Master Goatta replied sullenly, finally meeting her gaze. His green eyes held so much sorrow for the Duke he had taken under his wing._

_She had known that his parents were gone, but the nobleman had never gone into much detail about it, if he ever brought it up at all. With a hand covering her heart, she tried not to think about the circumstances that had gotten her a job at the Bryant estate, as she remembered there had been an accident before the old staff had been cleared out. "But he convinced you to train him the next time you saw him."_

"_Indeed. He came to me and said that everything in his life was changing, that he had no choice but to fall into step with the rest of the world and keep going. But he wanted to find the strength within himself to do that. He wanted to be able to find his own will; he just required the guidance to do so." Slowly, his smile returned. It was gradual, it was slow, but it grew as he watched Regal give Raphael advice to better his skills as if there was no talk of the heart wrenching past going on. "I have never regretted teaching him my techniques as well as the discipline of my dying art. I know one day it may serve him well, even if it is never on the battlefield, and perhaps one day he will need to guide a student of his own."_

_The pride that was evident in his voice was enough to make the young woman smile as she watched Regal spar with Raphael once again. She could see the gentleness that usually dictated the Duke's actions even in his movements to counter the younger Dragakendo student. No, he was not a violent man by any means. He had needed an outlet, a place to channel his energies and the emotions that were banned from him in his other roles, able to be free if only for a few hours a couple of nights a week. _

_Goatta_ _had given him a way to find the strength he had been seeking. The elderly man's hopes also became Alicia's, that some day Regal would be able to find a use for the techniques he'd learned, that one day all of his years of training would serve him well._

After barely managing to get our hands on a fragment of mana, which we only acquired thanks to a coincidental communication from Kratos, and narrowly being caught by angels while utilizing the emergency exit, we started to make our way out of the strange city of Welgaia. There was an elevator that would take us down to the seal room of the Tower of Salvation, but it required a key, and some of the passage ways were blocked by locked doors of different colors. We had to find a way to unlock them to search for the elevator key.

During our explorations we ran into patrolling robots that tried to block our paths. They were easily dispatched, but slowed us down. It wasn't until we found a room where there was zero gravity that we made any progress, as after making our gradual way through the room and to a lift we made it to an upper level. On that floor we managed to find a hall that led to advice that unlocked one set of doors, but there were more rooms with no gravity that were had to move through.

I had instinctively stayed close to Presea the entire time. I could see just from her posture and the way she surveyed our surrounding our surroundings as they changed that this place unnerved her. She seemed on edge, her usually blank expression carrying the hints of a frown while her azure eyes were sullen.

"Are you okay, Presea?" I asked her as we came to another hall that branched off of a weightless room. Having slowed my pace to match hers, we were at the back of the group. "You don't look well."

"My head is aching," she murmured softly and then had to look away. "And…"

"And?" I prompted. Regrettably, I still had not had the chance to speak with her that I so desperately wanted, but I still felt connected to her. She was my friend and Alicia's sister, and while perhaps she might decide she wanted nothing to do with me, I still wanted to protect her if not be close to her.

"I don't like it here. This empty, silent world. It feels like a world of death." Presea remarked in nothing more than a whisper, her gaze still downcast and her hands clenching into fists at her sides. "I want to get back to the surface."

I bit my lip, knowing what the angels, the half elves that had become lifeless beings had to remind her of. They were just like she had been under the power of her Exsphere, nothing more than puppets really, and such a striking resemblance of that dark time for her had to be more than a little unsettling. Gently, I put a hand on her shoulder, actually it was more like both of them because of the handcuffs, trying to give her some encouraging when her gaze lifted to meet mine. "Me, too. Let's go back together. To our world."

The traces of the frown she nearly wore faded as she gave me a nod, one of her hands moving to cover mine. "Yes…"

That simple gesture was not unconditional acceptance, nor was it forgiveness, but it was more than I could ask of her. Presea didn't cringe at the thought of returning to our world with me and she had not shied away from my touch. Her friendship meant more to me than anything else because I did not deserve it, I couldn't even truly ask for it. I didn't know if she would still feel that way once I had the chance to talk to her about Alicia, but even so I knew I could not put it off any longer. The more I hesitated, the more chances passed me by, and I didn't know how our fight against Cruxis would turn out in the end. The next opportunity I was presented with, I would have to take it regardless of what I thought would be the outcome.

_I'm going to try, Alicia. It will never make up for what I've done, but I'm going to try._

To be continued

**End notes: **I actually finished this only a day or two after chapter 9, so I really don't have too much to say. I hope you enjoyed the double update!


	11. Eleven

**Title:** On my Honor

**Author:** Yamato795

**Pairing:** Lots of mentions of RegalxAlicia, but no other ones planned at the moment…

**Rating:** Let's go PG-13 to be safe, since they do swear in the game, and the violence.

**Status:** Chapter 11 out of ? parts. Lots planned, but a number is not clear just yet.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Tales of Symphonia. Please don't sue me.

**Spoilers:** A TON, mostly for Regal. I'd say this story is better suited for those who have beaten the game if you ask me. Read at your own risk of spoiling anything. Since it starts where Regal comes in, it should spoil quite a bit of the game after that, don't you think?

**Summary:** Take a look through Regal's eyes as well as a look into his past.

**Author notes: **I have to apologize for how long this too, but I am a college student, so you'll have to forgive me. Getting closer to the end of the game and had some fun with the last scene. You'll see. Enjoy!

On my Honor

Chapter eleven

Upon returning to the surface, we spent the night recuperating at Altessa's while he prepared the Rune Crest for Colette. Lloyd was very concerned for her, and barely ate any of the food that had been prepared until we received word that she would recover. She had passed out before we had left the Tower of Salvation, so we all had been worried for her. Fortunately, the cure had been prepared in time. Everything seemed fine when we had gone to bed, but that was far from the truth.

Yuan came with the Renegades, slipping in to entice Lloyd out of the house with the promise of introducing him to his father. The young swordsman had gone only to be detained at the end of a blade while the half elf double-agent spoke to Kratos, his other prisoner, about releasing Origin's seal. Yuan told Kratos that if he refused his son would die. It seemed that Lloyd was Kratos' son, that perhaps all of this time the man that had betrayed him was his father.

But that was not the only surprise in store for us. Mithos left the house during the commotion, revealing that he was actually Mithos Yggdrasill, the leader of Cruxis. He had known about Yuan, and he had pretended to be our friend. Angry, he injured Tabatha, Yuan, and Altessa before Pronyma appeared. She left a group of angels for us to deal with, insisting Yggdrasill return with her, to which he agreed and they took Kratos with them. After defeating the angels, we were left in the wake of this twist of fate.

Tabatha would more than likely be fine, as she was more of an automated doll, but the dwarf was severely injured. Raine's healing powers would not do much for him because he was not equipped with an Exsphere. To help him, we left for Flanoir to seek the doctor there in the hopes of saving Altessa's life.

In the snowy city, it took the promise of paying the doctor whatever he billed us for his services to get him agree to help. He was to take Lloyd's Rheaird there and had requested that Sheena, Raine, Genis, and Zelos accompany him. The rest of us were going to spend the night at the inn with the promise that in the morning the others would return to update us on Altessa's health. Lloyd had gone to his room, probably needing the chance to clear his head after all that he had learned, and I could see by the blonde Chosen's expression that she was going to go after him. I wanted to as well, I wanted to try to comfort the young swordsman, but my instincts told me that perhaps, for now, Colette would help him more.

There was also a bit of a selfish motive behind that decision. As the others were all occupied now, it gave me an opportune time to speak with Presea. The circumstances were far less enough than ideal as Altessa had been injured because he'd thrown himself in front of the pink haired girl, taking the blow for her. Yet I had sworn to myself that the next chance I had I would take it.

On the surface, it seemed simple enough to do, but as dread twisted and coiled in my gut I began to doubt that the outcome of this could be anything but horrible. I found that Presea had gone outside to sit on the steps of the inn, and I was hesitant to follow, but I forced my legs to carry me there, for my hand to turn the knob of the door.

She didn't look up as I sat down next to her. As usual her face was a mask of indifference, untouched by any emotions that might be stirring within her. I watched as her fingers curled deeper into the blanket she had draped over her shoulders for warmth and how her gaze drifted over the snow that was falling down upon the city. Cursing myself for bad timing and possibly intruding upon whatever privacy she might have sought outside, I realized that the only way that this was going to begin was if I started the conversation. It was most likely anxiety that had chased that idea away from me before.

"Presea? May I speak with you?" The question was simple enough while the reasons behind it were horribly complicated and causing my stomach to twist. "If you would rather be alone, I'll go…"

"Is something wrong, Regal?" Presea asked softly, watching me from the corner of her eye. It had to have been the tone of my voice that gave away my nervousness. For someone who had trouble understanding her emotions, she read mine easily enough. I wanted to believe it was because in a way we were close, but that was probably just my wishful thinking.

"No, nothing is wrong…" Nothing that she didn't already know of, at least. I bit my lip for a moment, considering my words carefully. I was nervous, I was anxious, but I was not about to let that dictate how this went. Even if the outcome was not what I hoped, I had to know that I had tried. "I've been meaning to speak to you about something…for a while now actually."

She turned her head to meet my gaze, a flicker of curiosity passing over her young features for an instant. "What is it, then?"

My hands clenched and unclenched rhythmically as my eyes dropped down to the shackles on my wrists, the constant reminder of my crime and my lost love. It seemed a very long time before I could find my voice again, and my answer came out just above a whisper, "I know that I am possibly the last person you would want to talk to about this…and I will in no way pressure you into it, but…I wanted you to know that I will tell you about Alicia…if you'd like me to."

Her large blue eyes widened a bit and her hands clenched tighter into the wool blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She seemed confused instead of angry or horrified, so the stirring of dread in my stomach calmed a bit. "I…don't understand…"

I took a deep breath. "Presea, what I am trying to do…is offer you the chance to know Alicia better. The two of you…lost contact…and for that I am deeply sorry. I wish I could give you so much more…but I was close to her…I loved her like you do…and I'm willing to tell you about her if you would like me to."

There, I had done it. I had put the suggestion in front of her. No matter how terrible or insensitive she found it, I had attempted to give her the only thing I had left of my lover and her sister. My memories of Alicia were something I could share with Presea to give her an idea of the young woman her sister had grown into. The ax woman could turn me away and I would have to understand, especially since I had been the one to take Alicia's life. She might not to want to hear such things from me.

Presea chewed on her lower lip, a gesture she was not prone to. I took it as a bad sign.

"I would not force you into anything of the sort…and I am sorry if my suggestion has hurt you, Presea," I murmured softly, having to look away. While I had doubted that she would take my offer well, I had hoped, deep down, that she might. As much as I was her connection to Alicia, she was mine, and it was a bond that I wanted to explore.

"You…will tell me…about Alicia?" Her voice was hushed, almost secretive.

I nodded even though my gaze was focused again on the metal encasing my wrists. "Yes, I…will tell you. All you have to do is ask…when you're ready."

"Regal?"

The sound of my name caused me to instinctively lift my head, bringing our gazes back together. This was not the first time that I had seen her expression completely unreachable, but I suddenly felt she might close herself off from me. "…Yes?"

"Thank you." A hint of a smile then tugged at the corners of her mouth, curling them just enough to be noticeable. "I…do not know when I might ask to talk to you about Alicia…but I appreciate your offer."

I returned her smile, slowly rising to my feet. "Perhaps another time then? It is late, and we will be leaving first thing in the morning. We should both get some rest. And…Presea?"

She raised an eyebrow at me as she stood, shaking snowflakes from the blanket draped over her and from her hair. "Yes?"

"You don't have to thank me." I said softly while holding the door open for her. She only glanced back once on her way through the lobby, and it was very briefly, making me wonder if she had even heard me. In some way, I suppose it didn't matter, but by now it should have been obvious who should be grateful to whom. Presea would never owe me a thing, but I would always be indebted to her.

Lloyd's first instinct had been that we should go back to the Tower of Salvation, back to Derris Kharlan and the city of Welgaia, but Raine thought it would be wise to give ourselves some time to prepare for what could well be the final battle. Reluctantly our young leader agreed to it, especially since it seemed that Altessa would recover from his injuries. I suspected that the Professor wanted to also buy Colette some time to heal from her sickness and the rest of us from any injury we had sustained in the last few days. She was trying to insure that we would all be in the best of health when we fought Yggdrasill again.

Unfortunately, we spent the next few days following our venture to Flanoir doing more than resting like she'd intended. While our first stop had been Altamira, Colette and Loyd ended up offering our help to a woman whose children had wandered off. Since she rewarded us all with swimsuits though, we did end up spending at least the afternoon relaxing. What complicated things the most was when we stopped in Meltokio and found the King had been trying to contact Zelos. It seemed that the Pope had kidnapped Princess Hilda and was holding her hostage, hoping to trade the girl for Zelos.

The trade had been a ruse with Kate being forced to impersonate the Princess. She had even been poisoned, so we left her in the care of Zelos' butler and went of to track down the Pope.

Surprisingly enough, we found him easily, and the soldiers he'd hired were no match for us. By rescuing the Princess, we had again filed the Pope's dreams of taking the throne. Hilda was grateful for our assistance, as was her father and they insisted on having the chance to throw a party in honor of her rescuer, the Chosen, and of course the rest of us but it seemed more specifically to thank Zelos. I thought that perhaps it was also a way of apologizing to Zelos for having believed the Pope's lies, but I didn't mention that theory.

The invitation to the party, considering we would be the guests of honor, kept us in Meltokio for another day, as the party would be in the evening. His Majesty was even having clothes made for each of us, but when it came time to get ready it seemed that everyone's outfits but Lloyd's had been brought from the palace. While the swordsman hurried off to the castle to get his clothes, the rest of us were left to prepare with the help of a few hand maidens His Majesty had sent to aid us.

I couldn't convince them that my hair did not need styling, and while my suit had been cleverly designed so that I could put it on and take it off wearing my shackles, I still had to argue with them that I was not about to remove them to change. Once I was ready and certain I looked ridiculous I met the others at the front entrance of the Chosen's mansion. Lloyd had not returned yet, but we were certain that he would meet us at the party shortly.

As soon as we arrived Hilda rushed to greet Zelos, who seemed all too happy to receive her attention as well as that of most of the women in the room. I was more than content to fade into the background even though Hilda and her father had begun to express their gratitude to our entire group.

There was good reason for me to feel out of place. Even dressed in a fine suit, one could still see I was a criminal, and that was reason enough for them to stare. A good deal of the nobles attending the party knew I who was, or had heard of me after my conviction, and it seemed they wondered why the King would go to so much trouble to invite, even clothe, a murderer. I couldn't really deny they had a valid reason to look, to watch me, but it was still unnerving when I was honest with myself. I knew many of these nobles, had seen them a great deal in court, but I was no longer the man I had once been. I thought it best if I stayed off to the side away from the others for the evening.

If my suit was not uncomfortable enough, the eyes on me only served to make me feel as if I were being observed behind glass. For years I had allowed the opinions others had of me to roll off my back, never touching me so that I could be who I actually wanted to be. Now, while I did not truly care what anyone thought of me, I could not truly dispute what they thought of me either. The only thought that brought me any comfort was that this would only be for one night. In the morning we were headed for the Tower of Salvation to possibly make our last stand, which would make this evening seem almost trivial in comparison.

"Regal?" Presea's soft voice brought me out of my train of thoughts. While her expression was indifferent, her gaze held a troubled light.

"Presea, is something wrong?" I asked her gently, noting that the palace hand maidens seemed to have made her up like a doll. Out of all of the outfits that had been made for the group, Presea's had the most lace and frills, something that didn't appear to please her even if she'd worn it. Formal wear obviously did not suit her tastes either.

"Nothing specifically. I am just not used to a function like this…or being addressed as 'little madam'," she replied after a moment, glancing over the crowd once before looking back up at me. I couldn't help but think in that moment that I would always wonder what she saw when she looked at me, even though she was probably just observing the differences in my appearance as I had been with her. "I suppose the only ones from our group that are used to these sorts of parties are you and Zelos."

I shook my head with a sigh. "It's been a long time for me actually."

"Oh." Her eyes trailed down to the shackles I still wore, finding her explanation in them. "I apologize."

"There's no need." Why would she apologize to me for that, for anything? The reason I wore the shackles was so that I would not forget what I had done, so there was no reason for me to take offense for being reminded of my time in prison. Again I shook my head, a small smile crossing my lips. I wanted to reassure her that it was all right, which was probably why I added without thinking, "Actually…the last party like this that I attended…was with your sister."

Instantly I froze, my body going rigid. Why did I say that? How could I keep rubbing salt in her wounds? Yes, in Flanoir I had offered to talk to her about Alicia, to share my memories of her sister with her, but I had said I would wait for her to come to me for that sort of conversation. Saying that had just brought it up again, something that I had not wanted to do.

Presea did no say anything for a few unbearably long moments. It was as if she were taking in my words, measuring them. Her blue eyes scanned the party guests for a moment before they rose to meet mine. "You…brought Alicia…to something like this?"

She didn't sound angry, in fact, she sounded almost curious. When Zelos had been told about the party in his honor, the pink haired ax woman and Colette had questioned if they would even be allowed to attend because they were not of noble birth. Perhaps she found the idea of my bringing Alicia to a party like the one we were at curious for the same reason. Taking a deep breath, I nodded. "Yes, but only once. It…was a masquerade ball at the palace."

Again, she took her time to reply. I suspected that she was weighing my response and trying to decide how to feel about it. Sixteen years had been stolen from her, sixteen years that would have given her more reference for how to respond, how to feel, when something happened to her, and now she was learning it all over again. With everything else that I owed her, most of it I could never give her no matter how much I wanted to, the least I could give her was a little extra time to collect her thoughts. When the corners of her lips were tugged upwards in the smallest hint of a smile, I blinked in surprise. "Will you…tell me about it?"

"…Of course." I smiled down at her, relieved and warmed by the chance to share one of my most treasured memories of Alicia with her. "There is an annual masquerade ball that the King holds at the palace every year. I convinced Alicia to come with me."

"She did not want to go?" Presea questioned, her head tilted to the side.

"Our relationship was a secret…even though I insisted that I did not care about the repercussions, I just wanted to be with her. Alicia was worried about hurting my image, my company, though, so we kept our relationship secret," I explained with a small sigh at the memory. I had never really wanted my being with Alicia kept quiet, but I had agreed to it for the sake of my beloved and being close to her. "She was worried if she came with me our secret would be revealed."

"You said it was a masquerade…how would someone have known it was her?" the girl questioned with a slightly raised eyebrow. She toyed with some of the lace on the end of her sleeve for a moment, not comfortable with it but trapped within it like I was in my suit for the evening. "Would anyone have even recognized her?"

"Those were some of the things I said to her as well. As I said before, I had to convince her to accompany me," I chuckled, nodding. "She was nervous, but I assured her that everything would be fine that night."

"Did she have a good time?" Presea asked with a small smile.

"I believe she did." The smile that crossed my lips was from my reminiscing, from the images that came from the past, and that I could tell Presea about that wonderful night. "I know I will never forget it."

_She had tried desperately to convince him that it was a bad idea, that too many things could go wrong, but she always had trouble saying no to the Duke. The way he had looked at her when he first asked had been enough to make her melt, and against her better judgment, she found the invitation tempting. In spite of herself as well as the fact that she was sure that the night would turn into a disaster, she agreed to accompany him to the King's masquerade ball._

_Sure, they had been on numerous dates now. Alicia was more than comfortable with Regal, more than happy to sneak out of the mansion in the middle of the night with him. But at masquerade ball, a _royal _masquerade ball, they would be among the very people she had been trying to prevent from learning of their relationship. She did not want to cause her master trouble; even if he had adamantly told her that the stigma would not matter to him. Several times Regal had to assure her that since she would be wearing a mask the entire night no one would recognize her._

"I can show the world that I love you and still keep our secret."

_It was when he'd said that, with such tenderness, his arms wrapped around her waist from behind and his warm breath gliding over her ear that she had given in. Alicia would never say no to something that would make the Duke happy. She did not regret agreeing to his request until the night of the ball while she was staying at the Meltokio inn with Sanji, and her gown had arrived._

_That wasn't to say it wasn't beautiful, for the dress Regal had sent to her was gorgeous beyond words, it was just she had never worn anything like it before. She was simple girl, from a common family, and she had never attended a party of this stature even in her dreams. As Sanji held the gown out to her, it still fold neatly in the box he'd picked it up in, he grinned at her knowing she was nervous. "Don't stand there with your jaw on the floor, girl! We have lot of work to do if you're going to meet Master Regal at the palace on time!"_

"_Sanji, I don't think I can do this." Her hand was absent mindedly running over the silk of the beautiful dress. "I know how much this means to Regal, but I don't want to show up and have everyone see right through me. The last thing I want to do him is make him regret--"_

"_Now stop talking like that." The chef who took credit for fixing her up with their employer cut her off gently, still wearing that knowing grin. He began to push her into the next room where two women were waiting for them impatiently. "Master Regal was very insistent that we make you look the part and these two lovely ladies were appointed by the Duke himself to ensure you look lovelier than ever tonight."_

"_Sanji…" Alicia started, grinning even with the tears in the corners of her azure eyes. Had she ever gotten to thank him for assigning her to deliver Regal his lunches three years ago?_

"_Thank me later." He laughed handing the box that held her dress to her and shoving her forward as if presenting her to the two women Regal had hired to make her look believable. "There's quite a bit we need to get done, and we can save the sentimentality for later after you go meet your prince charming for an evening of romance, all right?"_

_Even after the painstaking amount of time they spent preparing her, Alicia had never felt so awkward as when she walked up the steps of the palace, Sanji on one arm, whether that was to help her keep her balance until she adjusted to the heels she wore on her feet or because Regal had not wanted her to make the small trip from the inn to the palace alone. The chef gave her a small wave as he left once she was near the entrance of the ballroom, surrounded by lords and ladies in dazzling attire and all sorts of masks._

_She wanted to call out to him, to tell Sanji what a mistake this was, that she should just go home to Altamira and back to her chores, but he was gone before she could even utter a sound. Maybe he had hurried out of the castle for that purpose alone. Again lifting her skirts so she wouldn't trip, as well as squaring her shoulders, Alicia glanced around and found that the main area of the ballroom was actually down a wide flight of carpeted stairs. On the lower floor was where most of the guests congregated, chatting in groups along the sides of the enormous room, or gracefully dancing on the polished floor in the center. After a deep breath, she steeled herself even more, hoping that the way she walked in her new heels didn't point out to anyone who might be watching her that she didn't belong in the beautiful garments she now wore._

_It wasn't until she had descended the first few stairs that she spotted him. Regal Bryant was in the element he'd been born and raised to inhabit, among royals and nobles from all across Tethe'alla. But she had never seen him dressed as elegantly as he was tonight, in a glorious white suit trimmed in gold that stood out among some of the more flashy suits worn by various other nobles. His was tasteful, handsome, but not tacky. Alicia guessed he'd lost the battle with whoever had helped prepare him for the evening about not tying his hair back as well as slicking back his long bangs. He preferred not to tie back his blue hair, to let his bangs hang in his eyes, but he had been raised to be a proper noble, and that meant on most occasions his hair was not going to be loose as much as he would have liked. She could not believe how perfect he looked, as if the silken fabrics were molded onto his muscular build, as if he had stepped out of the fairytales she remembered reading with her sister._

_Pausing on the steps, she had to stop to watch him for a moment. There were times when she wondered how Regal could practically be two people. She had watched him work, watched him speak with nobles before, but then there were the times when she watched him in the dojo while he was training. When he was practicing his martial arts he seemed so tranquil, so free, even though he never seemed trapped when he talked to other lords and ladies. He just always seemed so much more at ease when he was in the dojo than when he was attending to the occasional guest of noble blood at the Bryant estate._

_He must have sensed her eyes on him, or just that someone was watching. Even though an elderly woman had her hand on his shoulder and was speaking to him rather animatedly, his gaze still turned to over his shoulder, and then up. It landed right on her, and the smile that curled his lips caused one to curl her own. She was a bit surprised that unlike most of the other guests, Regal had gone with a tasteful half mask that was white until the gold trim around all of the edges, including around his right eye. He probably was well known enough anyway that he could get away with wearing a whole mask and still be recognized, but the flame like shape of the fabric around just his right eye and most of that side of his forehead made him seem even more elegant than before. _

_She saw him murmur something to the woman talking to him, and pull away from the small crowd that had been gathered around him, moving for the end of the staircase. Now he was looking at her, now he could see her in the gown he'd sent to her, how the women he'd hired had done her hair. She'd never felt more vulnerable than she was under his gaze at that moment._

_Alicia had always retained the power to take his breath away. Regal had always thought she was beautiful, exquisite, but he had never had his breath stolen so effortlessly as when he stood at the bottom of the staircase gazing up at her that night. He could see that she seemed unsteady on the high heeled shoes, which probably explained why she kept one hand on the marble railing while the other held up her long skirt. The Duke couldn't help but think that he had chosen the best style of dress for her, that he'd managed to find the perfect gown out of all the ones he'd been shown that seemed to make her glow._

_It was sleeveless, hugging her torso, accentuating her slender frame down to her hips where the dress then flared out to almost pool around her feet. While most of the silk that encased her lithe figure was white, around the top of the dress was an intricate pattern of ripples of gold that steamed down the left side only, and then cascaded around the hem of the dress. The ripples of gold that were on the gown were added to with a golden lace shall that she had strewn out over her shoulders and hanging down to nearly her knees. Her pink hair was styled in spiraled curls that bobbed with each step she took, with one pink strand gelled to curl on her forehead to the side. Almost in the shape of a butterfly, her mask was also white with gold edges, and it was not until she was close enough that he could take her hand that he found that around her eyes was a dust of gold powder to bring out her azure gaze even more._

_Only a few steps below her, he went down on one knee before her, placing a chaste kiss on the back of her hand. When he stood he was stilling smiling that dashing smile that made her cheeks flare and her insides melt. "You look absolutely stunning, my lady."_

_Alicia had insisted that if she were going to attend in disguise it would be wise for him not to call her by name. Regal had merely smirked a little when he asked how he should address her the entire evening, and when she hadn't come up with anything he assured her that he would play by her rules. Now that he'd given her a new title for the night, she felt her breath hitch in her throat almost stopping her from replying. "And you look unbelievably handsome, Duke Bryant."_

"_Thank you, my lady." There was a mischievous glint to his gaze as he took her arm in his, guiding them both down the rest of the steps. With her side now pressed to his, he felt her relax and couldn't help but chuckle in her ear secretively, "And you look utterly ravishing. I may have to buy you hundreds of gowns just so that I can see you in them like this."_

_If it was possible, the young woman blushed even more, hissing in reply, "I don't think I could ever get used to something like this."_

"_Someday you might." He whispered to her, leaning down so that he could press his lips to hers for just a moment, attempting to soothe her nervousness. The Duke was unconcerned with the gazes of the people that he knew were on them, he was only focused on Alicia, wanting desperately for her to enjoy this party. There were times that he tired of hiding everything that was important to him, times he exhausted of sneaking out of his own home whether it was to spend time with Alicia or to train in the art of Dragakendo. But tonight he could use his role as Duke to be with the one person that mattered to him, and as much as that meant to him, he did not want her to regret attending with him. For a moment, he watched her carefully before commenting thoughtfully, "I've never seen your hair down before."_

"_You don't like it?" she asked with wide eyes._

"_Of course I do. I…I'm sorry. I should not have said it like that." Turning her in his embrace he wrapped one arm around her waist and allowed his other hand to cup her cheek. "You really do look beautiful, my lady. I meant no offense. Perhaps…there is a way that I can make it up to you?"_

_She knew what he was doing, other than apologizing. He was trying to find a way to make her more comfortable. And in this room with so many pairs of eyes on them, watching, trying to discover just who this girl was to have Duke Bryant falling all over himself for her, Regal wanted to do everything he could to put her at ease. Alicia had to wonder what she had done to deserve such a sweet man, grinning up at him after a moment. "I suppose a dance would do, Duke Bryant."_

"_As my lady wishes…" That same playful smirk had returned instantly, and keeping his arm around her waist the young nobleman led her over to the huge dance floor. It wasn't until he tried to take her hand so that they could fall into step with the other couples that he realized she had probably never done this before. Gently taking her hand, he leaned down to rasp in her ear, "Just relax and follow me."_

_Doing her best to forget everything but the way he had taken her hand, keeping their gazes locked, Alicia allowed him to lead her into her first dance. She hoped that in their close proximity that he couldn't feel the way her heart was pounding in her chest, threatening to drown out the soft music being played by an orchestra on the terrace above the dance floor. Somehow, after the first few minutes, she managed to find the rhythm to his movements, which kept her from stepping on his feet._

_The Duke seemed to be losing himself in the melody, his steps still graceful and calculated, but a look in his eyes that Alicia could only describe as dreamy. The times that this expression filled his azure hues she had to wonder what he was thinking of, because he would stare at her as if there was nothing left in the world but the two of them. Even though she felt sluggish dancing with him, even though she felt so out of place, she still flashed him a brilliant smile because she didn't know what else to give him when he was risking his reputation to dress her up like a princess and bring her to this party._

_He pulled her closer suddenly, telling her in a hushed but playful tone, "Even His Majesty is watching us, my lovely lady."_

_Without thinking she'd squeezed his hand, tensing up. "Please don't tease me!"_

"_I'm not. He is watching us right now, with his daughter and the Pope." Regal insisted his voice calm and like a balm to her nerves. The laugh that sprouted from his throat a minute later put her even more at ease, and she rested her head on his shoulder. "I can already imagine the questions when I next come to court. Everyone will want to know your name. I will be hounded for months by every courtier here tonight!"_

"_They'll really ask about me?" She couldn't imagine any noble, let alone the King, noticing her enough to actually interrogate Regal to find out her identity. The idea of it was almost frightening, considering she had done so much to make sure the Duke would not suffer any repercussions of their relationship and now she might have done something he wouldn't be able to escape from. Would the whole court really want to know just who the young president of the Lezareno Company was dancing with that badly?_

"_I'm afraid so, my lady. You'll be gossip in the Royal Court for quite some time just for all the attention I am lavishing on you tonight." He told her almost sounding amused. With a small sigh he added, "Perhaps I should have told you…it's something I do not dwell on all that much…but for many years now a lot of the older women here tonight have been trying to…pair me off with their daughters."_

"_Oh…" She had never even imagined that, but now it seemed so obvious. Of course there were courtiers probably lined up either to pair off their daughter with the young successful Duke, or to marry him themselves. She probably had never wanted to think about the fact that one day Regal could have just gone off to wed his pick of any lady in the upper class. He had already reached the age where it should have been expected of him, and like his parents, he would need to procure an heir or two to continue the Bryant legacy. She wondered if that was why there were so many women staring at them now, behind masks and fans lined with bright colored feathers, whispering about them. Alicia held a little tighter to her dance partner, thinking that perhaps that had been the reason that elderly woman had been talking so animatedly with Regal when she first arrived. Perhaps there would be a time when he would forget about her to continue on with his duties as a nobleman, and he would marry a woman of caliber and prime breeding._

"_You may have to endure some jealousy from quite a few women for a while, my lady, as I plan on staying with you as long as you'll have me." Regal remarked with that small smirk, pulling back from her as the orchestra paused to select another piece to play. He took a step back from her giving her a small bow, and since he doubted anyone would see, a wink too. And then before she knew it he was holding her hand, taking her away from the dance floor, not that she minded, but now he was leading her away from the entire party it seemed._

_No, he'd taken her to a balcony that was just unoccupied at the moment. She didn't have time to question his sudden need to have her alone, as he drew her closer, holding her hand up against his cheek, watching for her reaction. His playfulness suddenly seemed gone now that they were alone without so many eyes scrutinizing their every move._

"_I love you." For a moment, it was almost just like the first time he'd said it. The happiness that swelled in her chest nearly caused it to burst, and she was so stricken by the gentleness of his azure eyes that she couldn't find a way to reply. With his free hand now on her hip, he pressed his body flush to hers, his gaze now half lidded, his voice dropping to nothing more than a whisper as he insisted, "You know I love you."_

"_I love you too." Alicia replied at the same breathless volume, her arms curling up around his neck now, needing to be closer to him. Was he trying to reassure her now that he'd told her about all of the ladies vying for his hand? Oh, what had she done to deserve this amazing man who seemed to do everything in his power to make her happy? Leaning up, she gave him a real kiss, one that wasn't chaste, or for show, but a real one full of the passion she held for him. A kiss that would assure him that she was in no way upset with him. _

_Now she could truly see what this night meant to him. After so many years of hiding his true self from the world that had shaped him to be a certain man, he had one chance to assert himself as the man he wanted to be, and show everyone that he wasn't going to follow all of their rules. He had wanted her to accompany him not only because he loved her, he wanted her there to show all of Tethe'alla that he loved her. _

"_My lovely lady…" The way he laughed that in her ear made her shiver with delight, holding him close. This was perfect. She wanted to stay like this forever, just in his embrace, listening to his heart beat. But then he pulled back a bit, cocking his head to the side to look at her again. "I should thank you…for tonight."_

"_But--" He didn't need to thank her, he had to have known that. She would have done anything to make him happy, even if it would have meant letting him go off to marry one of the other women down in the ball room. All she wanted was for Regal to be free, to be content._

_He put a finger to her lips, effectively cutting her off. "I want to thank you. Even if you feel I don't have to. I…this night…"_

_Gently pushing his hand away from her mouth, she beamed up at him. "I know."_

When we came to the Tower of Salvation, we walked right into a trap. None of us had been prepared for it, for it had been Zelos who had set it. He had been spying for both Cruxis and the Renegades to choose which side of three to be on, and in the end he had chosen to fight for Yggdrasill because he believed our enemy to be the strongest. The red headed swordsman hated his place as the Chosen of Tethe'alla so much he had helped Pronyma ensnare Colette and then left with the Grand Cardinal.

Angels tried to prevent us from following them into the upper levels of the tower, but with the surprise aid of some people of Mizuho we managed to find a way to collect ourselves and defeat them. Using the same warp ring as Pronyma, as it was still active after her departure, we made it into the depths of Cruxis' lair yet the female Grand Cardianl, Zelos, and Colette were nowhere in sight. They had to have gone through the corridors, further in, to where Yggdrasill waited, utilizing the time that had lapsed before we managed to give chase, and we would have to fight our way through every obstacle to reach them. There was no way of knowing just how many levels we would have to scale or what sort of foes we would face along the way, but we had to stop them from turning Colette into Martel's vessel.

Each of us was hurt by Zelos' betrayal, and it lingered in our minds as we searched for a way through the first level where a broken bridge could be our only passage to the next floor if we could manage to weigh it down enough. I had had no idea that Zelos had hated being the Chosen enough to turn on all of us. From what I had seen, and from the time I had spent with the red headed swordsman myself, he had seemed close to every member of the group. Except, if he had been spying on us from the beginning, had he just gotten close so that he could get whatever information Cruxis wanted about us?

Lloyd had seemed shaken, but it was as if he pushed it to the back of his mind to focus on rescuing our captured friend. Perhaps we all had to do that as we fought the monsters and angels that waited around nearly every corridor, make ourselves temporarily forget what Zelos had done so that we could keep moving.

It wasn't as if we could just erase what had happened in our minds, but we could not risk becoming distracted by it. Our prospects of success were grim. The tower was most likely fraught with traps, and there was no way to know how many, just as we had no way of knowing how many angels or monsters would try to block our path. Remnants of the Giant Tree littering the corridors also slowed us down, and it was only with the Sorcerer's ring that we managed to get past the twisted roots growing out of the walls.

"I need to discuss something with you," Raine murmured to me softly, privately, while slowing her pace slightly to drop to the back of the group. I could see that her jaw was set and her grip on the new staff she had found along our way was so firm that her knuckles were white.

I mimicked her movements, skipping a few steps so I was shoulder to shoulder with her and if we spoke softly enough the others might not hear us. While I had no idea what she might wish to speak to me about alone, my curiosity gave way to worry instead from the way it appeared she was controlling her expression to keep it blank, unreadable to anyone who might glance over their shoulder. I raised one eyebrow when I held her gaze. "…With me?"

"It's because you look like the most rational member of this group," the Professor continued with a slight nod. She was keeping her voice down, not wanting our friends to even notice that we were speaking, and it was because of this I became concerned. What did my rationality have to do with this? When her shoulders suddenly slumped her gaze fell as well, the weight of what she wished to discuss breaking her mask to reveal the burden she was carrying. "…We're heading into great danger. We need to decide in advance on whose lives take priority."

My breath caught in my throat, her words acting more like a slap in the face. Of course she couldn't talk to the others about this especially since we were all emotionally frazzled by Zelos' actions, and even if I didn't want to, I could look at this exactly how Raine wanted me to, with logic and a practical mind. I grimaced at the thought of measuring the worth of each of my friend's lives as if this were some sort of game of strategy. "I see. That's the sort of discussion that would likely anger Lloyd."

_He'd be furious if he knew we were discussing sacrifices._

_Do we have a choice though? It would be unrealistic at best to believe we'll all make it through this…_

The fact was we were deep in enemy territory. The odds were stacked against us, especially as Zelos could have been gathering intelligence about all of our strengths and weaknesses too so our enemy could know us as well as he did. Yggdrasill was more powerful than any force we had ever faced, and even together we could not defeat him before. If only a few of us, or worse, only one of us made it to face him, then who had the best odds of victory?

"Lloyd…we must protect no matter what," Raine remarked, glancing at the red clad swordsman, the sadness carefully veiled in her gaze. "The only force that can hope to challenge Mithos' inhuman power is…"

"Lloyd special Expshere," I finished for her. Colette, and even Lloyd himself, had told me about the stone on the back of the boy's hand. It had been part of the Angelus Project, the same project Presea and even Alicia had been victims of, and when we had beaten Yuan in the Tethe'alla Base the leader of the Renegades had mentioned that the teen's stone was evolving. How much potential it held still remained to be seen.

"Yes. I don't know what kind of power it holds, but we must bet on the course with the highest odds of winning." The Professor's tone was flat. With or without my input, she had already made her choice, and it was one I understood.

"…Understood." If our only chance was to lay down our own lives for Lloyd's, if it came to that, then I was ready to do so. How could my life be worth more than any of their's when I was a murderer? I squared my shoulders, filled with a new source of determination. I would protect my friends, no matter what, and do everything I could to see that Lloyd and as many of the others made it. "Let us do what we must to protect Lloyd."

Raine met my eyes for a moment, and then sprung forward to catch up with the others. Soon enough we had dislodged a trapped boulder from tree roots to weigh down the broken bridge and allow us to cross. The warp pad took us into a large room with a domed ceiling, a flight of stairs led down to a dirt floor, and across the vast enclosure was a passageway that had large stone pillars standing at the entrance.

"Hey, there's another warp pad over there…" Lloyd remarked, pointing to the furthest end of the nearly hidden corridor. He started forward, the others having already started down the steps and I was walking beside him.

A bell began to ring the moment we had reached the bottom of the steps, causing us all to stop and look around for the source. Was it an alarm? Had we stumbled into an ambush? We had had no choice but to take the warp pad, so Cruxis would know we were coming this way and could have easily just waited for us to appear to sound an attack.

"Wh…what's going on?" our young leader asked as he kept his eyes focused on the space above us.

There was a ledge high above us, and even with the bell ringing, I could make out the hum that made me think doors were opening. The sound of wings fluttering was the only warning we had before almost a dozen of Cruxis' minions appeared, hovering above us menacingly. The ones that were closest, watching us, were Angel Swordians, female angels that looked more like living dolls than the half elves they were once.

"Angels!" Lloyd gasped, his hands going to his sides to grip the hilts of his swords.

I saw two of the Angel Swordians dip their wings to swoop down on us, their sabers poised for battle. "Here they come!"

"Die!" the first one cried out as she slashed at Sheena and Presea with her blades, barely giving them the chance to defend. Her lifeless eyes remained locked on the pair, and she swung at the pink haired ax woman again with one of her swords to try to slice the girl open.

Presea lifted her Ogre Ax once again to defend. "No."

"We can't let them slow us down. Power Seal Pinion!" Sheena tossed her Asura cards out at the angel, catching her in the side and stunning her. Her timing couldn't have been better, for as soon as our attackers had started their descent Raine had raised her staff and began to prepare a spell. The second the ninja's attack was complete, the Professor unleashed a Photon spell upon the Angel Swordian, adding to the damage it had taken.

The other Cruxis minion had gone speeding toward Lloyd, but the brunette swordsman had leapt up into the air in a forwards somersault with his swords out to rotate with him. "Omega Tempest!"

When the angel was stunned, barely hovering over the ground, and Lloyd had landed safely behind her, I rushed forward, throwing out my left leg and catching the lifeless being in the jaw. "Swallow Kick!"

After knocking her back, I spun on my left leg throwing out my right in three strong kicks and then going into a back flip with my left leg extended to catch the angel under her chin. "Crescent Dark Moon!"

"Ugh!" the angel grunted when she hit the dirt floor.

Genis had been powering up for one of his spells, waving his kendama as a circle of purple light spun beneath his feet. His eyes were closed in concentration, the light growing as he targeted the same angel that had attacked Presea. When he opened his eyes, he nodded to her. "Now, Presea! Thunder Blade!"

"Dual Punishment!" Presea cried out as she lunged at the angel, spinning around with her ax out to strike.

"Lightning Punishment!" they called out together as a pillar of lightning appeared, crackling with power as it electrified the lifeless being and Presea continued to rotate, hitting her again and again with that large ax. When the magic dissipated, Presea hopped back, watching as the angel collapsed, and then she turned her gaze back up to the other angels that were flying close to the top of the dome.

Rushing at the angel I had knocked down, Lloyd planted his feet and slashed out with his swords creating a manifestation of mana that looked like a lion's head, the blow sending our opponent tumbling. "Beast!"

"How could this have happened?" the lifeless being murmured in disbelief before she stopped moving, her expressionless eyes falling shut.

Lloyd grit his teeth as he turned his eyes up when that familiar hum rang throughout the room again, signaling that even more of the lifeless being were on their way in addition to the ones already hovering near the dome. There was no way of knowing how many were up on that ledge, and we couldn't even see it from so far below. "Dammit, there's no end in sight."

_Sheena's right…we can't let this delay us._

_But if we make a move for that warp pad, they'll follow us…unless…_

_Unless one of us stays behind and makes it so they can't._

I set my jaw, bracing myself for what I knew had to be done. There wasn't time to find another way, and I wasn't about to let someone else risk themselves when I could ensure their safe escape. Jerking my head in the direction of the hallway, I shouted, "Make a break for that passage!"

"All right!" He had no reason to suspect my intentions, no way of knowing what I planned to do was against what he stood for, and I hated that I was using his trust. He sprinted forward with Sheena not far behind him. Genis, Presea, and Raine took a moment to respond but soon they ran between the pillars towards the teleporter without looking back.

_Lloyd…I'm sorry…_

I followed behind them, waiting until they had all made it to safety before I stopped, planted my feet, and then kicked out at the closest pillar with all my might. A loud rumble filled the vast room as the stone column I'd hit snapped, the upper half slamming into its twin bringing them both tumbling down. The passage was almost completely blocked off by the debris with only a few holes large enough for me to see my friends whirl around startled. I turned to face the gathering angels and to try to prevent myself from being overcome with guilt.

"Regal!" Lloyd called out from behind the rubble. He sounded worried, and confused, and it made my heart clench at the fact that I was only going to add to the pain he was in. But if I gave my life so that he could keep fighting perhaps one day he would understand why I'd done it.

"I'll hold them off here. Hurry!" I insisted, not even looking over my shoulder at them, keeping my focus on the Cruxis minions who hovered high above me. They seemed to be assessing the situation as more of them emerged from on top of the ledge.

"You know I can't leave you behind!" the swordsman exclaimed.

"There's no time. You know that," I replied in the same firm tone. I wasn't about to back down, not this time. I could make sure that the others kept on going, give them a chance to stop Cruxis, and it didn't matter what it cost me. Out of all of us, there was no way that my life took priority over theirs. Even now, doing this, it would not absolve me of my sins, but at least I would not be making the same mistake I had before. "You're the only one that can save Colette."

"I know that! But I can't just leave my friend!" Lloyd shouted in protest, his voice nearly shaking. He sounded frantic almost, as if he couldn't believe I was going to leave myself behind to face numerous enemies.

"That's not what you're doing. I…" Flinching slightly, I cut off, unable to finish what I'd been about to say because of everything it brought to mind. Determined, I pushed the rest of it away focusing on what had to be done for all my friends to keep going. They were what mattered now. If I could keep Cruxis from pursuing them from behind then it was worth any risk. "I once wasn't able to protect someone very important to me. So this time, I'm going to succeed. I'm going to protect my friends."

"Regal…" Lloyd murmured, torn between what he wanted to do and what he knew had to be done even though I had made that decision for him.

"Lloyd." All I could do was hope he would listen, hope he wouldn't waste anymore time arguing with me, and pray that what I was doing would not be in vain. Years ago, I had failed to protect Alicia. She had fallen into Vharley's hands and her death was on my head, so I could not bear for the same thing to happen with my friends. "Save Colette."

"All right." The sound of footsteps followed, but soon stopped. The swordsman's voice was gentle and yet held the most serious edge I had ever heard from him. "Regal, don't die. Don't make me go through the same pain you did. You hear me?"

_The same pain…no, I don't want anyone else to feel this…_

When the group used the warp pad there was a soft hum that lessened the tension in my limbs, the knowledge that they had escaped for now calming the rapid beating of my heart. I had to sigh though. Lloyd had done it again without really even trying, using the fact that I always kept my word, fulfilled my promises, against me. While I hadn't wanted to cause him pain, I would have if I laid down my life for his, and now I couldn't because he'd asked me to live.

"Heh. You sure don't make things easy, Lloyd." I closed my eyes, trying to relax further, to prepare myself to fight. In that fleeting moment though, I saw the face of my beloved and my chest ached in the familiar way it had since the fateful day I had tired to trade the mines for her return. I hung my head a little, wishing for a moment I had the right to ask her for strength. "I'm sorry, Alicia. It looks like it's still going to be a while before I join you."

Taking one last deep breath, I swiftly ran forward, giving myself room away from the debris of the columns, glaring up at the angels as I took my usual Traubel stance. Whether or not I could keep my promise to Lloyd would still remain to be seen, but I knew what I had to do now, and I would do everything in my power to keep the lifeless beings at bay.

"You shall not pass!" I cried out my azure eyes narrowing on the flock of them moving to swoop down and strike.

An Angel Swordian dropped down with merely a tip of her wings, both blades sweeping out in front of her. I quickly sidestepped the blow, so she swung again with her left in an attempt to give me no room to dodge. "Away!"

Lifting my right leg to block with my greave, I took the hit just so that she would be in close range for me to counter. Traubel was not a long range fighting art, I needed to have my opponents within reach to strike. Throwing my right leg out into a spinning kick, I pivoted on my left leg to repeat the motion two more times before leaping into a back flip where my left leg was extended to catch the angel under her chin. "Crescent Dark Moon!"

Before the angel could recover, I ducked low to sweep my leg around and hit her low before springing up into a rotating kick. "Dragon Rage!"

If it had been strategy or not I couldn't be sure, but while I had been exchanging blows with one Angel Swordian, the other lifeless beings had moved in. A male one wearing armor and carrying a spear slashed at me with his weapon, catching me in the shoulder. He was flanked by others, and soon it was all I could do to avoid several swords and spears swinging at me at once.

There were so many of them I didn't have time to block. I ducked underneath a sword only to be caught in the back with a spear. It had been careless, but the wound wasn't deep. I kicked out, trying to gain more room now that the winged minions of Cruxis were swarming me, but all I managed was to ward them off for a moment and earned myself a glimpse of the Angel Swordian off to the side preparing a spell. My eyes widened. I was surrounded; there was no way to get out of her range.

"Now die!" the sword carrying angel snapped as she unleashed the magic with a wave of her blades.

A whirlwind of ice suddenly whipped around me, the cold shards slashing my skin as I was lifted off my feet. Before I could even regain my senses after being bombarded with a sharp flurry of ice, one of the Angel Spearmen swung out with his weapon, hitting me in the side of the head making me see stars for an instant. I stumbled back, scrambling a bit for balance as an Angel Commander whirled around with his staff to strike me again. With what meager footing I gained, I jumped at the staff bearing lifeless being throwing out my left leg to kick him in the face and then swept my foot back and forth a few times to increase the damage. "Swallow Dance!"

By sending that angel to the ground I had just left room for more to swoop in, their weapons waving around to cut me down. Frantically I jumped, weaved, ducked, and blocked, trying to keep from being injured or worse, already cut in several places. There wasn't much more that I could take. To break free from their onslaught, I charged at the nearest three angels, stringing out my mana and passing right through them as if I were some kind of phantom, then planting my feet and shoving my elbow into one of their backs to topple them in the other direction. "Heaven's Charge!"

The trio crashed into a few of the others, tangling them up in each other on the ground. One of the spearmen flew after me, not about to let up, but I sprung up to meet him, kicking him hard in the gut and the face before pivoting in the air to slam him into the dirt with my feet. "Eagle Dive!"

No matter how many angels I brought down with my attacks though it was not enough, more kept coming. Standing my ground, I continued to fight, countering their blows with my own to stop them from reaching the debris and busting through the stone to get to the warp pad. The toll it was taking on me though was increasing as I suffered more and more blows from their spells and their weapons. Even when an Angel Swordian slashed my side open I didn't give up.

I had promised myself I would protect my friends, and that was what I had to do, while keeping my word to Lloyd as well. No matter what I had to keep going. But no matter how much my mind was set to push me through this battle, my body disobeyed and began to shut down, the blood loss causing most of the fatigue.

"Die…" one of the Angel Commanders murmured without emotion, quickly unleashing an Eruption spell under my feet, the lava gushing upwards, hurling me to the ground in a heap, singed.

"Ah…" Burnt, bleeding, and with shackled wrists, it was hard to get up off my side and to my knees. I was shaking slightly, gritting my teeth, trying to muster the strength to stand. I could not give in, not now I had to keep my word. Hissing at the wave of pain that threatened to topple me, I rose to my feet taking my traditional stance once again.

The eerie blank face of one of the female angels did not even flicker with malice before she dove at me, swords already a blur in strokes that went to slice my body in the most vicious ways possible. When one blade was raised up to come down upon my head, I lifted my shackled wrists to catch it, metal crashing into metal, and then I kicked out with my right leg catching her in the stomach. The force sent her sprawling back, but she swiped out with one of her swords in that split second tearing into my thigh.

"…Damn!" I hissed through my teeth, my leg starting to give beneath my weight no matter how much I willed it to hold me. At the same time another angel lunged at me, spinning around to gain momentum before his staff slammed into the side of my head.

Thrown through the air, I didn't have the chance to right myself, landing on my bleeding side. Clamping my jaw shut was the only reason I did not cry out. Gasping for breath, I tried to get back up, to rise to my feet and continue to fight them off, but the second I put pressure on my injured leg the outraged fire that leapt up it had me reeling. I couldn't stand on it. My mind might still be ready to continue the fight, but my body couldn't take any more.

_I don't' have time…for a healing spell…_

_They won't allow me time…_

_I…can't get up…_

At the thought of surrender, something deep inside of my very being panicked violently flooding my veins with adrenaline, a last ditch effort to get me off the ground, and yet when I went to put weight on my wounded leg I merely collapsed back into the dirt. The tear in my thigh was too deep, I'd expended too much energy in battle, and I'd lost too much blood. The sound of wings flapping told me that the lifeless beings were merely waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

"Are you ready for this?" The exclamation echoed off the stone walls abruptly, seeming to come from everywhere at once. My head snapped up, blue eyes wide, for I knew that voice all too well. While I was stunned with disbelief, denying what I had thought I'd heard as a trick of my desperate mind, the angels paused remaining still. It seemed they were either unsure of what to do or reevaluating the situation now that someone else was there. "Healing Stream!"

_Zelos…?_

_No…he betrayed us…_

A light began to swirl and shimmer beneath me, a blue circle that rippled with energy and sent a wave of calm through my limbs. I saw as cuts on my arms began to close, felt the wounds I had suffered mend in seconds, and gradually felt some of my fatigue fade. The spell was one that the red headed Chosen had just learned recently, an upper level spell, but I could not bring myself to really believe the swordsman had come to my aid. It was foolish to think my rescuer could be anyone else when I knew of no one else that knew the spell and it had sounded like the Chosen of Tethe'alla though.

The hesitance of the minions of Cruxis to act was cut short when they seemed to realize what had occurred. While my leg still throbbed, I scrambled up, backing away from them to gain myself another moment before they were upon me. Their weapons poised, a few of the angels began to approach, their wings fluttering only enough to keep them above the ground.

"Regal! Look out!" Again, Zelos' voice echoed around me, and it was a second later I spotted him across the room. There was a rune circle glowing under his feet, the only reason I did not question how he'd managed to suddenly appear, and he gestured for me to dart in his direction before he lifted on hand in the air. "Don't run! Thunder Blade!"

Even as the pained cries of angels erupted behind me, my eyes narrowed upon the young man who had given Colette to our enemies. "What are you doing here, Zelos?"

"Saving you, El Presidente! Thank me later!" There was already another rune circle spinning beneath him as a smirk crossed his lips. I looked over my shoulder just in time to see jagged spires of earth jut out of the ground into the crowd of angels that had tried to follow after me. "Ready for this? Grave!"

An Angel Swordian dove at me from the side, having made it through the destructive forces the Chosen was conjuring, her swords swiping out in front of her. Not slowing for an instant, I leapt at her, pivoting to through my right leg into her face before she could strike me, tossing her into the air while I rushed to Zelos' side. I had no idea how the swordsman had found me, or why he was helping me, but he seemed to be a better companion than the angels at the moment.

When I stood next to him, I spun on my heels so my back was to the wall and I could see the lifeless beings beginning to regroup. Clenching my jaw, I watched the red headed man from the corner of my eye. "Why?"

"Do you really wanna chat now, or do you want to get out of here?" Zelos demanded as he pressed one hand to the wall behind him. A slab of rock slid away to reveal a door, how he had to have entered before, and he jerked his head at it. "Come on."

_He betrayed us…but…he's helping me now._

_What is going on?_

I glanced between the gather swarm of angels and the man who had been playing not only with us, but Cruxis and the Renegades as well. If anything, while Zelos had betrayed the group, he had healed me, and while he could just be taking me to a far more dangerous situation, there was a part of me that doubted that his intentions were malicious. I darted into the passageway quickly, hearing Zelos follow and the slab slide back into place behind him.

"Regal…you don't have to trust me ever again…but the others are in trouble. We have to help them…and then we have to be there when Lloyd faces Yggdrasill," the swordsman told me as he rushed past me down the dark corridor that stretched out before us.

"But, you--" I started, following him without thinking.

"It's all part of the plan, okay? There's no time for me to explain. This whole place is littered with traps, and you're not the only one that's ready to let Lloyd keep going and stay behind!" Zelos shouted cutting me off firmly. I couldn't remember ever seeing him so serious before.

Whatever was going on, whatever Zelos was trying to do, the fact that the others could be in danger was more than enough to get me to follow him. The rest could be sorted out when I knew that our friends were safe.

_I've kept my word, Lloyd, and I'm going to see to it that you keep yours._

To be continued

**End notes: ** I don't have much to say this time except thank you for reading, and for waiting patiently for this update. I'm very happy to be getting close to the end of the game as well as this story.


	12. Twelve

**Title:** On my Honor

**Author:** Yamato795

**Pairing:** Lots of mentions of RegalxAlicia, but no other ones planned at the moment…

**Rating:** Let's go PG-13 to be safe, since they do swear in the game, and the violence.

**Status:** Chapter 12 out of ??? parts. Lots planned, but a number is not clear just yet.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Tales of Symphonia. Please don't sue me.

**Spoilers:** A TON, mostly for Regal. I'd say this story is better suited for those who have beaten the game if you ask me. Read at your own risk of spoiling anything. Since it starts where Regal comes in, it should spoil quite a bit of the game after that, don't you think?

**Summary:** Take a look through Regal's eyes as well as a look into his past.

**Author notes: **Man, it's just entirely too sad how long I've been sitting on this chapter. To be honest, I thought I had posted it over Winter or Spring break this year. I actually wrote this last summer. So I apologize profusely to anyone still reading. I am currently getting the last parts of the story done though if that's any consolation. Please enjoy!

On my Honor

Chapter twelve

The fact that Zelos had been playing three sides seemed to have fit perfectly into the hidden agenda Kratos had been fulfilling perfectly. While the red headed Chosen refused to admit that it had indeed been the other swordsman that had orchestrated everything including how he had given Colette over to Cruxis. The entire thing had been so that in the end, we possessed Aoinis, the last material that would form the ring of the Pact and enable Lloyd to wield the Eternal Sword after making a pact with Origin. While we had been too late to stop Yggdrasill from transferring Martel's essence into Colette, she rejected her brother and his twisted ideas. He was mad, enraged, when we fought him.

Even against his strength, we stood strong, defeating him and reducing him to nothing more than the Cruxis Crystal that Genis retrieved. Kratos appeared only a moment later to make sure none of us thought our journey was over and informing us he would be waiting by Origin's seal in Heimdall for when we were ready to face him.

We left for the village of the elves immediately. Lloyd pleaded with the elf elder to allow Raine and Genis into the village as well for the night so that they could be there for when he faced Kratos, and even though it appeared the elder strongly disliked the idea, he granted our young leader's request. Perhaps the elf had done so because it was already painfully obvious how hard the next day would be on the boy.

To even attempt to make a pact with Origin, Kratos had to release the mana from his body, for he acted as Origin's seal. If the seraphim were to do that it would likely kill him. This had to be weighing heavily on Lloyd's mind, for the man was the father he had never known. We needed Origin to reunite the worlds, and no son wanted for his father to die to further any goal. The night we spent in Heimdall was a restless one for all of us.

When morning came, we were shown to the entrance of Torrent Forest and informed Kratos would be in the deepest part of it. While the journey was treacherous, we made it to the seal where the mercenary waited.

I was surprised that Lloyd wanted to face Kratos on his own, but I understood. The conflict could only be settled between the two of them no matter how hard it had to be to raise arms to one another. Lloyd did not hold back, neither did the angel, but it was the son that triumphed over the father in the end.

Kratos then released the seal. If Yuan had not suddenly appeared and given the other seraphim some of his mana, the swordsman would have died. We were then confronted by the King of Summon Spirits, who did not desire a pact because he'd lost faith in all things. Lloyd, Sheena, and even Kratos, did their best to persuade him, and moments later we battled Origin to prove our worth.

It was perhaps the most arduous battle any of us had ever fought, but in the end we earned the pact. Before we could even celebrate though, the Cruxis Crystal that Genis had taken with him sprung to life, and Mithos' consciousness attempted to take over Lloyd's body. Colette reacted before any of us could, placing the crystal on herself, which in turn gave Mithos control of her body. He then teleported away with her, and a moment later, the Tower of Salvation collapsed, sealing off the way to Derris Kharlan. He planned to take the Great Seed and leave with the planet made of mana.

The crumbling tower nearly destroyed all of Heimdall, but we managed to evacuate the elves in time. We had to save Colette and stop Mithos, so we traveled all the way back to Iselia to Dirk could forge the ring of the pact as Kratos told us, so that we could use the Eternal Sword to reach Derris Kharlan. Unfortunately, the seraphim was still injured from his battle with Lloyd, and he remained with Dirk instead of venturing back to the remnants of the tower with us.

There, Lloyd used the Eternal Sword to transport us to the planet that hovered so close to ours. We fought our way through several crowds of monsters to reach where Mithos might be hiding, but when we passed over a strange symbol on the floor, all of us but Lloyd were trapped, and then transported away one by one.

For a moment, the world was dark. The next, I was in a cage. I was not alone either. Presea lay against the opposite wall of the very cage that I had blasted our way out of during our last adventure on Derris Kharlan. My head was still spinning a bit, something that to be an after effect from the way we had been transported into the cell. Gradually, planting my elbows on the floor, I managed to sit up against the bars. When my vision finally stabilized, I took another look around. Presea was the only one with me, but the others could have been placed in the opposite cage where I could not see them.

"Raine? Sheena? Zelos? Genis? Are any of you out there?" I called out in the hopes they might hear me, or I might wake them up if they were still unconscious. There was no response from the other cell.

"Regal?" Presea moaned out surprising me. She sat up slowly, as if she was dizzy as well, holding her head as her gaze sought mine. "What…happened? Where…are we?"

"That trap…must have sent us here to this holding cell, Presea. We are still Derris Kharlan, but I am not sure where the others are. Lloyd was the only one that evaded the trap…" I told her as I watched her for a moment to see if she was hurt. My healing spells were not nearly as powerful as Raine's, and were limited by the distance between myself and the target, but at the moment it was what we had available, and at the very least it would be effective. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, just slightly disoriented…" she murmured shaking her head to clear it. When she set her hand on the floor it was the first time either of us realized her ax was in the cell with us. "It appears we were merely transported here…we were not even disarmed."

"Perhaps it was just a means to separate us? Mithos plans to leave and he will not want us in his way. We should find a way out of here…back to the others," I commented rising to my feet, grateful that my greaves were still in place. With a frown, I examined the bars, noting that they did not even appear as if I had destroyed them before, as if they had been replaced. With one finger, I tapped them. "These are new. I wonder…if they would be able to withstand the attack I used before…"

"Do you think they could?" she asked with her head tilted to the side.

Nodding, I glanced down to meet her gaze. "Why go to the trouble of replacing the bars and then putting us in a cage we can already escape from? It would be foolish…just as forcing our way out with that attack would be foolish…because it might not work."

"And it weakens you." The flat tone of her statement nearly overshadowed the underlying concern that someone else might have missed, but I heard it and was startled by it. I had thought none of the others, with the exception of Raine, had taken notice of how much of a drain using Dragon Fire really was to me. Perhaps it was easy to forget how observant the pink haired girl could be as she could be almost as taciturn as I was. She had an excellent point as well though. While the technique could possibly free us, it would exhaust me to the point that I would be useless for some time unless I could find a Pineapple Gel, and I refused to be a burden to Presea.

"It seems our only option then is to wait," I sighed leaning against the side of the cell still gazing out between the bars. There was something entirely unsettling about being in a cage again after being free for some time, the feeling slithering down my spine and putting me on edge. What made it all worse was the fact that I as in no position to help Lloyd when it counted the most. If Mithos managed to escape with the Great Seed, and Derris Kharlan floated away, Tethe'alla and Sylvarant would die. And Mithos would be using Colette's body to do it.

Presea grew restless quickly as well, shifting on her feet before ultimately taking a seat on the metallic floor. She sat her ax across her lap, preparing for the wait.

The other had been scattered and were probably trapped as well. I could only hope they were safe for the time being. Mithos' return and failed possession of Lloyd's body, with the resulting kidnapping of Colette, was a twist I had not expected. Should we have? We had seen Alicia live through her stone, and Cruxis Crystal were evolved Exspheres, so it seemed that Yggdrasill had had even more capabilities with his stone that we should have anticipated. Unfortunately hindsight was doing me little good at the moment.

Closing my eyes, I sighed once more. Would it be better to at least try using Dragon Fire to break free? Even if it meant I would be exhausted and only Presea could make it back to the others, at least it would be doing something.

"I'll save you guys!"

Lloyd's voice suddenly filled the air and it caused my head to snap up at the same time as Presea's. For just a second, I saw the red clad swordsman running towards us, but then he was gone. He just simply vanished into thin air. I blinked a few times in confusion.

"I thought I just saw Lloyd," I murmured glancing down to meet the girl's gaze, needing to know if she had seen the same thing or if I was losing my mind. Lloyd had been there, hadn't he?

"Yes…he disappeared," the ax woman replied as she clenched the handle of her weapon tighter. "What could…"

As she trailed off, the door of the cell swung open, seemingly on its own. There was no one on the other side that I could see, and while it seemed that the tow of us had seen Lloyd there was a moment before there was no sign of him there now. What had happened to him? Had our young leader even been there?

"…A trap?" I said quietly, hesitating to move.

Presea did not shrug, but she didn't have to her, her voice seemed to hold the gesture on its own. "Even if it is, remaining here indefinitely…"

"…Would not be particularly meaningful," I finished for her with a nod. Trap or not, there would be nothing to gain by staying in a cage. I started for the open door determined to take this as an opportunity to find the others, to do something to stop Mithos from succeeding. "Let us search for Lloyd."

The moment I stepped from our prison I saw a figure approaching that caused me to freeze in place. Next to me, Presea did the same, a small gasp falling from her lips. Standing only a few feet away was a being that I had thought I would never see again, one that I could not even comprehend being there. Yet, as if to spite the impossibility, the person did not fade, did not disappear like Lloyd had only moments ago.

_It…it can't be…_

_Sweet Goddess…it can't be…!_

There, in front of me, was Alicia. She was just as I remembered her, dressed in her uniform, her short pink locks pulled back in pigtails. Her body was solid unlike it had been on the terrace. She was smiling sweetly, her eyes holding relief, and she exhaled loudly like she had been holding her breath. There was no way it could be her though, no matter how alive she seemed, how much I wanted it to be her! When she opened her mouth and spoke, even her voice was just how it should be, gentle, kind. "…I'm so glad you're safe."

"Alicia…" Presea whispered, too stunned by the presence of the sister she believed to be gone to say anything more.

_But…it can't be her…_

_She's gone…because of me…_

I set my jaw. My eyes were telling me that my beloved was there, with me, and miraculously alive, but my mind knew better. I had witnessed this young woman die twice before, once the death of her body and the second the passing of her spirit. I knew that she couldn't really be there, my rational mind knew that she couldn't not matter how much my heart hoped that she truly was alive. My beloved was gone, by my hand she had died.

Clenching my hands so tight that my nails dug into my skin, I breathed out, "Impossible…"

_A trap…this has to be…some cruel trap…_

"Please wait," the perfect image of Alicia pleaded quickly, holding up her hands as a sign of peace. Her eyes bore into mine, silently asking me to believe, to listen to her. "I'll take you to Lloyd."

_No…no, this isn't real…_she_ isn't real. She can't be. This is a trap. This is some sort of…trick…_

"It's an illusion!" The words were meant to reaffirm the fact in my mind as well as to try to convince Presea as well. She couldn't believe this, she couldn't really think this was her sister after everything that had happened, could she? I took a deep breath to calm myself, to try to release some of my tension and clear my mind so that I would no play into this sick game. "Alicia…is dead!"

From the corner of my eye, I saw the way that my statement caused Presea to flinch ever so slightly for only a second. "…Yes. She was murdered."

"…Yes," I agreed even though there was no need to. We both knew the story, we both knew that I was the reason Alicia was no longer alive. My gut twisted violently, hating how this reminder of her loss had to be hurting Presea more than I could possibly understand.

"Then, what am I, Presea?" the one that wore my beloved's face asked the ax woman gently, turning slightly as if to completely focus on the other girl. This illusion, this fake, was trying to draw Presea into a lie. She looked so real, it would be so easy to believe she was alive, but how could she come back from the dead and why now of all times? "Even though I'm right here, breathing, my very own sister insists that I'm dead?"

Azure eyes widening in surprise Presea nearly shrunk back. Obviously she was torn between her want for her sister to be alive and the knowledge that Alicia was dead, her grip tightening on her ax. "I…"

"It's true that I was murdered by Regal," Alicia remarked, her gaze locked on the gaze of her older sister. Whatever being this was, the reflection of my beloved, it was not Alicia Combatir, and it was trying to pull us into some sort of trap. That had to be what was going on. The woman I loved was dead, a fact that would make me ache in the depths of my soul for the rest of my existence, so I knew that she could not be standing there. Whoever, whatever, was impersonating her was trying to manipulate us. "But here I am alive in front of you. Isn't that enough?"

_No…no, it's not enough…it can't be enough…_

_Alicia…_

"…It's only an illusion!" My voice was strained, the conflict bleeding into it, keeping me from being able to get through to Presea. Couldn't she see what was happening? This wasn't Alicia, it couldn't be! I had to keep whatever was pretending to be my beloved from deceiving the ax woman. Taking a few rushed steps I moved into my usual battle stance, challenging the image of my beloved no matter how much it hurt to do so. "Be gone!"

"Ahh!" Alicia's horrified scream nearly broke my resolve, but I quickly reminded myself that not even in the end had Alicia ever been truly afraid of me. This was an imposter, one failing to completely play the part.

Presea rushed forward without warning, putting herself between the image of Alicia and me, a deep frown lining her lips. Her eyes were what held the conflict that didn't quite make it to her expression, flickering with the struggle going on inside of her. On the handle of her ax her fingers began to clench and unclench rhythmically, but she met my gaze determinedly standing her ground.

I was a bit stunned by her actions. "Presea!"

"We…don't know for certain it's an illusion," she exclaimed, the words pouring from her as if unbidden. Was she really being taken in by an imposter? Did she really think it possible for her sister, who was already gone from this world, to come back to life? Or did her hope, her wish for it to be Alicia, overshadow her rational thinking?

"Presea…you believe me, don't you?!" Alicia asked of her sister, staying behind her and watching me warily. If it was truly the woman I loved, would she cower behind Presea? On the terrace, her final request had been to see me one last time, and Alicia, the real Alicia, had not been frightened of me then. The Alicia Combatir that I knew would not have been afraid of me, and that Alicia was gone. Sighing with relief, the illusion of my beloved relaxed a little. "Thank you!"

I clenched my jaw. This _thing_ was impersonating Alicia, and poorly at that. Not only did it seem to be making a mockery of her name, but it was trying to manipulate us. "You..."

Presea's grip tightened on her ax when I took one step forward, and she lifted it as if she meant to use it. Her next statement came out with only half of the conviction I had ever heard in her, but I knew she meant it. "Stop! If you don't stop…"

"Regal, I can't believe you'd try to kill me…" It was Alicia's voice, her eyes focused on mine, at least it seemed like it, and all the same it caused me to hesitate. She did seem so real even if it wasn't possible. She looked like my love, sounded like my love, but my Alicia would have known that I would never hurt her. This false image of her was using her face to trick us, she had to be. Yet, as pain crossed the imposter's face, I felt my heart ache in spite of myself. "I can't believe it…"

"Silence, phantom!" I shouted. I knew this wasn't Alicia, it couldn't be, and therefore I couldn't allow whoever or whatever she was to play these twisted mind games. Presea had to see she was just and elaborate ploy that Mithos had to be using to buy himself more time. "Presea, move!"

The ax woman's expression hardened along with her resolve, and I could see the desperate desire for her sister to be alive easily overshadowing the fact she knew Alicia was dead in her mind. We both wanted the young woman that appeared to be Alicia Combatir to be real, to be the loved one we had lost, but I knew it was impossible while my beloved's older sister wanted to believe their was a chance. She was ready to stand against me even. "…If you want to kill Alicia, you must face me first. Prepare yourself!"

"Stop it, both of you!" Lloyd's voice cut in out of nowhere, appealing to the both of us. While it sounded as if he were standing right next to us, the young swordsman was not in sight, the sound of his voice all that suggested he was close by.

But it was as if Presea hadn't heard it, for she barely hesitated to whirl around, swinging her ax with her, fully prepared to cut me down to keep me from confronting the one impersonating Alicia. I back pedaled in time to dodge the blow, but there was a gasp of pain anyway, one that did not come from either of us, and a puddle of blood appeared on the floor. It was all so unreal. First Lloyd had disappeared into thin air, then Alicia had appeared insisting she was alive, and then I had been certain I had heard Lloyd's voice.

_What is going on?_

_Alicia…she can't be real…it _is not possible_…_

_But how is this all happening…_

"Lloyd's voice…" I murmured without thinking, shaking my head. This was all so confusion. "…is this an illusion as well…"

Presea had halted her assault, frozen by the sight of the crimson spatter on the floor, her gaze darting to me to see if I was the source of it. Perhaps she had heard Lloyd's voice for she murmured, "But…there's blood…"

"I feel an evil presence from that blood!" Alicia's imposter commented worriedly as she clasped and twisted her hands in front of her, chewing her lip a little. The stance, the expression, and the anxious fidgeting was how my beloved might have acted, but her words did not fit, they didn't seem right. "Be careful, Presea!"

"What's gong on?" I demanded as everything ran through my mind once again. Was this all a trick? "What is real?..."

"It doesn't matter, just settle down!" Again, Lloyd's voice was close, but she sounded as if he was in pain even though he was trying to soothe us both, and there was still no sign of him. Was he there? He had to be if we could hear him. Or was it all part of he illusion? "Why are you fighting each other! You're supposed to be friends!"

Just as he had disappeared before, the red clad swordsman reappeared, kneeling between us. There was blood on his side where he was holding it, showing that he had taken the blow Presea had meant for me. His breaths were deep, even, and he winced a little when he exhaled. Our young leader had moved between us to keep us from fighting. Unless he was yet another illusion.

"Lloyd!" the pink haired ax woman gasped.

"You…aren't an illusion?" I asked cautiously, needing to know he was real and I was not losing my mind. First Alicia, then Lloyd, and if this continued I did not think I could handle it.

I saw behind Presea that figure of Alicia's expression had darkened, a look I could not remember ever seeing on her kind, gentle face when she was alive. She was clenching her hands at her side, nearly glaring at me now. "Why did you stop attacking?! You hate the one who murdered me, don't you?!"

Azure eyes widened, only slightly, and her small body stiffened. Presea seemed stunned to hear her sister say that. "But…"

The imposter then focused solely on me, her eyes hard, a coldness about her that I had never seen before. She couldn't be real, she just couldn't be after I had watched her die twice. But she looked just like my beloved, alive and well, as if none of that had ever even happened in spite of reality. Yet, if none of that had happened or this was truly the woman I loved, would she really look at me that way? "And, Regal…why won't you just let yourself be killed? You've always felt guilty about killing me."

"…" I was utterly stunned. Even if this was not Alicia, it sounded like her, it looked like her, and it almost was her. It was almost as if the woman I loved with all of my heart had just told me she wanted me dead, had said that I should allow myself to be killed. I could not move, I could not even breathe. All I could do was stare.

"Here's your chance to end it all!" Alicia insisted with the same cold note to her tone that cut into my soul with ease. Suddenly, behind her, another figure appeared out of thin air, this one someone that made me clench my hands into tight fists. Mithos was only a few feet behind the imposter, probably just an image since he was possessing Colette's body.

_But…if he's an image…then…isn't Alicia…?_

_Is…Lloyd…?_

_What is going on? Which of them are _real

"Yes. It's for the best. If you are killed, you will no longer feel guilty," Mithos smirked at me, obviously enjoying the emotional turmoil that all of this was causing. There was a cruel light in his eyes as he turned them onto Presea and waved one hand. "If you kill him, you will have your revenge. Crimes must be punished."

"Both of you! Get a hold of yourselves! Don't confuse who you should be fighting!" Lloyd cried out imploringly before he winced once again, clutching at his side as he took in a shuddering breath. His gaze drifted between us, from my eyes to Presea's because he needed to gain our focus, and then he set his jaw against the pain he was in. "Dying won't settle anything! Killing won't solve anything!"

"That is merely logic. People are not moved by logic," Mithos hissed through his teeth as his eyes narrowed viciously upon the young swordsman. He seemed determined to drive us to fight one another, to have Presea continue attacking, but with Lloyd there that was proving to be a difficult task. "If the one you love is killed, you hate the murderer…and murderers must be punished."

_You hate the murderer…_

_But…Presea…she doesn't…does she hate me?_

Lloyd shook his head, trying to climb to his feet but all it earned him was another wince and a moment that he could not speak. Once he had managed to catch his breath, the red clad swordsman remarked pointedly, "But if you keep killing people like that, it will only spawn new hate and new revenge! Besides…you're just running away if you die. You'll forget the murder and the pain of that crime."

"…Spawn new hate…" Presea rasped as she rested her ax on the floor, biting her lip as her azure eyes fell to her feet.

"…Running away from my crime…" I breathed out realizing it was the truth. If I laid down my life, how did that atone for what I had done? The guilt was overwhelming at times, and yet it was mine to bear through the life I had promised Alicia, the real Alicia, I would live.

"…What about my feelings?!" the image of my beloved erupted clenching her hands at her sides, her expression turning cold as it locked with mine. The anger, the hatred I saw there, marred the features of the woman that held my heart into a face I didn't recognize. She had never looked at me that way before, not on the terrace, not ever. "You murdered me!"

I blanched. Illusion or not, it was a truth I could not deny. I had murdered Alicia, I had taken her life, and while it had been because she had asked me to, the situation that had brought us both to that point had been my fault. What could I say? Could I actually do anything to defend myself at this point? I couldn't run away from my crime as Lloyd had said, but was there a way to actually atone for my sins?

"It's true that Alicia died. But I know she doesn't want things to end like this," our young leader said after a deep breath. "What you're both doing is selfish!"

"…You're…the read Lloyd," I murmured with relief, grateful to finally be able to see the truth. Lloyd had really come for us, and Mithos had made him disappear to try to pit us against one another with an elaborate illusion. Only the real Lloyd would say what had been said, would stand between us to keep Presea and I from hurting one another. He was not part of the trick Mithos was trying to play.

"…And that Alicia is a fake," the pink haired ax woman said through her teeth, furious that anyone would use her sister's visage in such a malicious way. "Alicia wouldn't say things like that…"

_Presea…do you…you truly don't hate me…?_

"Are you…going to kill me?!" the image of my beloved gasped out in fear, backing away a few steps.

"Stop deceiving my friends!" Lloyd shouted pushing himself to his feet and stumbling forward after the phantom, drawing one of his swords. He was still holding his side as he moved to swipe at her with the blade but the image of Alicia faded away into thin air before he could. Not long after, Mithos vanished as well. Once the images were gone, the swordsman slowly turned back to us, dropping to his knees once again.

"I came to get you guys…" he laughed humorlessly.

I had to look away from him. I had been ready to surrender to whatever Presea would have done to me even though I had promised Lloyd that I would live. If Presea had wanted to kill me, I would have let it happen. "…I'm sorry. I…lost the will to atone for my crimes by taking comfort in the feeling of being punished. Death is not punishment. Punishment is living with one's crime and working to atone for it."

"…I closed off my heart and turned away from people who were trying to atone for their crimes because it was easier to hate than to forgive," Presea commented while her hands clenched and unclenched on the handle of her ax. She fidgeted for a moment longer before her head finally lifted and our gazes met once again. I expected something harsh, something angry, to be lurking in her eyes some trace of it, but there was nothing like that in her blue depths. The young woman appeared more as if she regretted what had just transpired between us.

"There are so many things you can do before you die. And I don't think everything has to be forgiven," the red clad swordsman granted out as he looked to see how bad his wound was beneath his gloved hand. "But no matter how painful things may be, you can't just dwell on the past."

I nodded, frowning at the fact he was in pain. "…You're right."

"…I…will stop allowing myself to be trapped in the past," Presea remarked softly as she moved to our leader's side and took his arm to help him stand.

"One cannot seek a new world while dragging the past along," I added, mostly for my own benefit. If nothing else, Presea and I had been slaves to the pains of our pasts, and now was our chance to begin again, to have a new and better life. Neither of us would forget the past, but we could no longer allow it to control us.

From high above us, a dagger floated down hovering close to where we stood, the light flickering off of it. I blinked a few times, wondering what was going on and how the weapon was just floating there with nothing attached to it.

"What's that?" Lloyd asked with his head tilted to the side.

"A knife?" I asked curious if this was another illusion or not.

"There are nicks all over the blade," Presea commented as she reached out cautiously to pluck the dagger from the air and examine it in her hands.

"Maybe it's a symbol of your past…" the young swordsman suggested with a slight shrug, swaying on his feet a little.

"Let us think of it that way," I agreed, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips watching the ax woman tuck the weapon into her belt for the time being. Where it had come from, and why, it didn't really matter, for it could at the very least be a reminder for us if we strayed from our new resolve to leave the past behind us.

Presea nodded, her eyes much warmer than they had been minutes ago when we had been pitted against one another because of Mithos. "Yes…so that we may never fight amongst ourselves again.'

"Speaking of which…" I stepped closer to Lloyd, closing my eyes for a moment and fueling my energies into a spell. When I opened my eyes, I saw a green light flicker over him for just a second. "I have you. Grand Healer!"

Relief spread over the teen's face as his wound visibly closed. He stood straighter, a smile crossing his lips as I repeated the spell just to be sure that he was fully healed as we didn't have time to examine his injury further. "Thanks, Regal. I didn't have time to dodge…I guess I wasn't really thinking either."

"You're welcome, Lloyd, but I don't think you really need to thank me at the moment…" I replied as he began to move towards the controls of the platform that would take us back into the angelic city.

"Are you guys ready to go?" Lloyd asked as he stopped, waiting for the two of us to follow. He tilted his head to the side and then jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "The others are waiting, you know. We still have to put an end to all of this…"

Presea looked to me and then sped over to stand next to him, the barest hints of a smile tugging at her lips. She still gripped her ax, the strange dagger that had appeared tucked into her belt, and her expression nearly blank. It was as if she were strangely lighter. "Yes…we're ready."

It was hard to argue with that. I moved to stand on the platform with them. We still had much to do. Even if it seemed as if Mithos was for the moment beaten, as Colette was standing with the rest of the group, we still had two worlds to reunite. The comfort I had at the moment though, was that Presea did not hate me. She was ready to try to accept me completely, even if it did not mean forgiveness, and as I followed after the group, I even felt a bit lighter.

As Alicia had lived on in her Exsphere, so too did Yggdrasill in his Cruxis Crystal. He revealed himself when we reached the throne room of his castle, determined to follow the path he had chosen even though it meant his end when we fought him and defeated him twice. Lloyd destroyed his stone so that the battle would finally be over. Our young leader then used the Eternal Sword to reunite our worlds, making them one as they had been a long time ago.

For a moment though, it seemed that we had done more harm than good because without the Great Seed, the world would quickly fade from lack of mana. To stop the Great Seed from floating away, Lloyd had gone after it, using the wings that his evolving Exsphere had given him to fly after it. Somehow, with the Eternal Sword, he and Colette revived the Great Seed, and the Giant tree sprouted in the remains of the Tower of Salvation. Filled with the souls of those lost to the Great Seed, like Martel, Tabatha became a guardian for the tree, and our battle came to an end.

Cruxis was gone, defeated. The Church of Martel would soon be no more, as it had been part of the front Yggdrasill used to try to create a body for his sister. The Human Ranches had been shut down, a number of them destroyed even, and the Desians had scattered out of sight without the leadership of the Cardinals. So it seemed that all that was left was the aftermath.

Colette returned to Isliea. Freed from the bondage of being the Chosen, she had a full life ahead of her to do whatever she wished, and while she had seemed sad when we parted, she seemed the most hopeful we would see each other again. Genis and Raine had gone to check on Altessa once more before beginning a new journey to teach acceptance of half elves to the reunited worlds. They were both determined, and I believe that the rest of our group all offered assistance should they need it, for their new journey would most likely be long and trying. Sheena returned to Mizuho for she had been named her grandfather's success of during our travels and she would need time to work with her village to adjust to the new world.

Zelos had been gone back to Meltokio, he felt he needed to be the one to tell the King everything so that Tethe'alla could begin again in the new world. He had laughed at the fact he would loose his status as Chosen, and even joked that he might just spend his days lounging on the beach in Altamira unless Lloyd dragged him along on the teen's new journey. Our young leader had decided he was going to set out to collect all of the Exspheres, preventing everything that had happened to repeat and destroy more lives. I told him that I would offer what help I could, scouring Lezareno's archives and shipping records to assist his search.

Lloyd was the only one to see Kratos off. His father felt he needed to go with Derris Kharlan for the remaining angels of Cruxis and to discard the Exspheres on the planet of mana into space. It was probably very difficult for the younger swordsman to allow the father he had never known until now go, and yet the brunette teen had probably been unable to bring himself to ask Kratos to say.

To my surprise, Presea asked to accompany me to Altamira. While I knew her home was gone, after what Yggdrasill had done, I had not anticipated that she would want to come with me to the resort town. I was happy to go home after so long, knowing that perhaps I was beginning my atonement, and I was happy to have Presea with me. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep her company for long for I had to make arrangements to step back into the position of President of Lezareno so that I could keep my word to Lloyd and do what I could to help the new world.

I had only been gone for a day, but things were already becoming busy since I was having several plans put into motion at once, and get even in all of that, I knew I had to do something before things became that much more hectic. Telling my assistant I would be on the terrace for a little while, I took the elevator up to the top floor of the Lezareno building, needing to visit my beloved's grave. The need to speak with her even though I knew she could not talk back now was not something I could easily ignore.

As soon as I stepped off the lift though, a soft voice reached my ears, one I knew well. "Alicia, I'm finally myself again. Time is finally starting to flow from that night sixteen years ago."

For a moment, I hesitated where I stood. I did not have any right to intrude on the girl's conversation with her sister, not when it might be something private that Presea wanted no one else to hear. But at the same time I wanted the chance to speak with Alicia as well, and I needed to talk to Presea about other matters. Taking a deep breath I decided to at least let the ax woman know I was there and if she asked me for more time alone I could certainly grant it to her.

"You know what?" Presea continued without noticing my approach, hints of excitement underlying the question. "I'm twenty-eight-years-old now. Can you believe that?"

Stepping up only a few feet behind her, I stopped, chewing my lower lip. I felt a bit guilty about interrupting when I probably should have just turned around and left to give her privacy for a while "Were you…talking with Alicia?"

Presea slowly turned to face me, not as if she were startled by my voice, not as if she were furious that someone had been listening, but more as if she had heard me coming or possibly known that I would come. The smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth were warm, a sign that she was not upset with me at all, and it helped me relax a little she then nodded. "Yes."

"I just got back from overseeing the destruction of part of the mine," I replied supplying not only the explanation of where I had been but somewhat why I had made it a point to speak with her and her sister. The demolition had been to the deepest part of the Toize Valley Mine where the Exspheres were found. "Now that that's done, we can rest assured that no new Exspheres will be excavated."

"That's good to hear," she commented, clasping her hands behind her back and shifting on her feet a little. "What are your plans now?"

"I'm going to devote the full resources of my company to revitalization projects in order to build a new and better world," I remarked with a small smile that I could not seem to hold back. Over the course of our journey, I had thought about what could be done to help cities like Ozette and Palmacosta, even Luin, rebuild and begin. Lezareno had more than enough assets to help rebuild the cities that had been destroyed and both worlds make the transition into being one. The fact that my company could finally do something so noble made me a little proud.

Again she nodded, this time thoughtfully, considering what I had said. I had not told her about the idea of the projects before, but now everything was mostly underway. She then glanced up to meet my gaze, her smile growing a bit. "I'll help, too. I'm sure Alicia and Daddy would have wanted me to."

"Presea…" I was stunned. While I had expected her to approve of my efforts, I had not really expected her to offer a hand. It was true, she did not have a home or even a job to return to after Ozette was destroyed along with the sacred wood, she was not tied to Altamira either. Was she choosing to be? She wanted to work with me. I shook my head a little. "Are you certain, Presea?"

"As long as you do not mind my continuing to stay with you…I would like to help if I can…" Presea murmured tilting her head to the side to watch me, gauging my reaction even.

"If you would like to stay and help, Presea, I would be more than happy to have you," I assured her having to grin. She really wanted to stay. While it had probably been presumptuous of me to assume she would move on again and perhaps we would keep in touch, I hadn't guessed that she would ask to stay with me. It meant a great deal to me that she wanted to remain, and help even. "I will most certainly need ideas on how to begin rebuilding Ozette…"

"Rebuilding…Ozette…?" It was her turn to be surprised.

"The revitalization projects will most likely begin with rebuilding Ozette, Palmacosta, and Heimdall if they accept the assistance." Even while I had been preparing the mines for demolition I'd had plans being drawn up for reconstruction.

"I will help however I can," the pink haired ax woman replied after a moment, something flickering across her gaze that I just barely caught a glimpse of. I wasn't quiet sure if I had seen it, it might have been my imagination but I thought I saw gratitude in her gaze for just a second, gratitude that could have been for helping restore the only home she'd ever known. But it had been there for only an instant so I could not be sure.

"Thank you, I am sure we could use all of the help we can get," I said with a nod of my head. The revitalization projects were going to be immense, and any help we could acquire would be very much appreciated as well as needed.

Her warm expression, so more full of life than when she had been restored to her true self, was comforting. I was beginning to think that our friendship was probably far less fragile than I feared for it actually was. She watched me for a moment more and then glanced over her shoulder to the grave that stood before the fountain on the terrace before looking back up at me. "Were you…coming to talk to Alicia?"

Her question made me chuckle in spite of myself. I nodded, my eyes darting to the tombstone for a second. "Yes. It's…been a while."

"Perhaps I should give a minute alone?" she offered gently in her soft voice, her expression remaining warm.

"Presea, you don't have to--" I began to protest instantly. Alicia was her sister, she had every right to be on the Sky Terrace to visit her grave, and I would never try to chase her away from it. She didn't have to leave just because I wanted to speak to her sister, I was more than willing to wait a few minutes.

"It's all right. I will wait for you in the lobby so we can talk more about the projects when you're finished," Presea insisted raising one hand to silence me. She then stepped around me, striding over the path towards the elevator, glancing back to me once to smile again. "Since I am staying, Alicia and I will have more time to talk."

Before I could think to protest once again, the gates closed and the lift began to creek down the shaft towards the lobby. Presea was being more than kind giving me the privacy I should have given her trip to the terrace, and it was incredibly generous for her to give me such time. As she had already left before I could argue, I couldn't waste a moment either. There was so much to do now that Lezareno was going to rebuild cities that had been devastated by Cruxis, I wasn't sure when I would have another moment to myself let alone to visit Alicia.

Slowly, I approached the grave, both relieved and saddened not to see her Expshere embedded there. Relieved because it could no longer keep her spirit prisoner, and saddened because I could not see her or hear her voice as I had on my last visit. It would have been so wonderful to actually talk with her, the real her, after everything, but such a thing was impossible now.

I sat down in front of the stone with my legs crossed, my eyes combing over the elaborate way her name had been engraved, and I had to sigh. After everything, bringing down Vharley, Rodyle, and Cruxis, there was supposed to be peace. There was supposed to be calm. And in the world there was, but in my soul there was not, for my beloved was gone from the world I had fought so hard to save. I could not bring Alicia back.

Yet, sitting there, I still felt connected to her, and that was the reason I had come. After facing down the imposter Mithos had created I needed to visit my beloved even if she could not reassure me of anything or I could not even see her. Feeling like she might be watching, listening, it had to be enough.

Reaching out and brushing my fingers over the spot where the Exsphere had been mounted, I whispered the only words I could manage for her, "I miss you."

I had my word to keep, to myself, to Presea, and to the people of the reunited worlds. I wanted the assets of Lezareno to fund revitalization projects around the world, to help rebuild what Cruxis had destroyed, and to perhaps extend a hand of friendship from the people of Tethe'alla to the people of Sylvarant along the way. It was a noble cause, just as much as it was the right thing to do. There were so many that had lost so much more than their homes, but at least this could be a first step to moving past the devastation and to starting anew.

And now that I had Presea's support as well as her assistance, I was more than ready to set in motion the Lezareno Company's greatest project ever and my first act as the president since my return. While it should have been strange, shameful, to even enter the company headquarters still wearing my shackles and the attire I'd fought so many battles in, I felt lighter than I had in years. For once I knew how to carry my burden, how to go about my penance. So I could step off the car for the Elemental Railway into the lobby just as I would have over either years ago, headed straight for the elevator and my office.

Presea was going to meet me soon, I wanted her to help the contractors design the layout for the reconstruction and expansion of Ozette. As I passed the receptionists' desk they informed me she had yet to arrive. Thanking them, I stepped into the lift, turning to press the button for the third floor when someone grabbed the gates before they could creak shut.

"George?" I raised an eyebrow at my old servant, noting how he was slightly hunched over panting for breath with a practically frantic expression. "Is something wrong?"

"Master Regal, forgive me, but you can't seriously be considering tying up a great deal of Lezareno's assets into all of these destroyed cities! Such a venture could be disastrous!" he exclaimed, shuffling onto the lift after inhaling loudly.

"You should know better than anyone, George, that we have the resources to do it and not lose profits. We still have operational shipping routes, resorts, and restaurants across what once was Tethe'alla, we will not suffer any losses …the budget will just have to tighten for a month or two that's all," I assured him, reaching out and pressing the button to take us up to the office. For just an instant, I caught him staring at the metal restraining my wrists, shifting his weight on his feet and tugging at his tie, before he looked away completely. Besides, this shouldn't be about Lezareno right now; it should be about the people that need help. Who else will step in if we do not? There are so many out there now with nothing left but their lives, and we have the ability to give them so much more."

"But the costs would be--" George started just as the lift began up the shaft, a soft hum filling the air around us.

"Think of it as a long term investment, then, George," I cut in, my tone growing more firm. How could he challenge the idea of reconstructing cities that had been devastation during the battle against Cruxis? How could he put a company before the thousands suffering? "Just calm down. I plan to handle all the details now that I am back for good."

In the light of the elevator he almost looked pale now. "For good? Really, Master Regal?"

"Yes, now that the worlds are reunited." He was acting strangely, I had no idea why, but he was definitely not himself. I brushed it off though, certain it had to be because he did not approve of the revitalization projects that I planned to set in motion. Well, he would see that it was no threat to Lezareno, that would actually help us in the end, as well as all the good we would do. I stepped off the elevator when the gate opened, glancing back at him to find he was fidgeting with something in his pocket. "I plan to front the projects, George, but I will need your help with all of it. We have a lot to do. I've spoken with the acting Governor-General of Palmacosta and he is ready to receive any aid we give, as well as meet with contractors to help them rebuild it like it was. I have Presea ready to work on designing Ozette. The only thing I haven't managed to do yet is get word to Hemidall that were ready and able to help them rebuild."

Striding over to the desk, I lifted up a folder to examine the reports just back from Palmacosta. I heard George tentatively walk up behind me but paid it very little mind, as I was already absorbed in reading. It seemed that the only thing left for the reconstruction of the city to begin now was the building supplies to arrive.

_Only two days in…and we've come so far already. Amazing…_

"You…should never have come back…" I heard the words, uttered in a somber, slowly building tone, but had no time to react for as soon as my mind processed them, something struck me in the back of my head.

Dazed, I stumbled forward, the folder and its contents clattering to the floor as I struggled to blink away the stars clouding my vision. I knew I was thinking too slowly, that something was wrong, but I couldn't get past that couldn't realize anymore. Then a searing pain tore into my back, near the base of my spine. I screamed and felt it driven in further, harder, before I was hit in the temple and what ever had been plunged into my flesh was torn out.

"Ah!" My legs could no longer hold me. I fell to the ground, landing on my shackled arms with my back on fire but growing damp. The pounding of my heart grew louder, more ominous, drowning out my rational thoughts until all that was left was the pulsing hole that had been made in my back.

"How did you manage to come back?! Every time! Every plan! You always survived!" George's voice pierced the haze, the thudding in my ears as I pushed my thoughts back together; piecing them with what my blurry vision was trying to show me. He was red in the face, as red as the knife in his hand.

_But…George…?_

His foot connected with my side sending spindles of fire through my nerves, the blood pooling underneath me now even. It all seemed so unreal. The blinding pain, the bloodshot look in my old servant's eyes, the kitchen knife he clutched in spite of the crimson liquid drooling down onto his fingers, and it all was more like a terrible nightmare. Yet the agony of each breath reminded me that this was far too real to ignore.

"Forgive me, _Master Regal_," George hissed as he crouched down next to me, his voice dripping with distain. "But I have put far too much effort into all I have done to stumble now. I won't overlook anything again…because then you somehow manage to _survive_! You couldn't just be on the railway that night…or content to rot in prison, no, you had to _keep coming back_!"

_The…railway…? Prison…_

His words were becoming jumbled, nothing he spat at me made sense. All I could focus on was the pain, the pain and the labored breaths my lungs barely pulled in now. Why was George doing this? Had he gone mad? He had served my family for so many years, as long as I could remember, and suddenly he was standing over me with a knife, no longer the faithful servant I had thought him to be, a traitor, an enemy.

"You already had everything…more than you needed since the day you were born. What did Lezareno ever mean to you beyond your family obligation? _Nothing_! But it meant everything to me!" he shouted heatedly.

Around the fog that had settled in my thoughts, the burning pain that threatened to consume every part of me, the rational part of my mind was yelling for me to get up, to resist. I couldn't just allow this to happen. Whatever the reasons, whatever the why, it wouldn't matter if I bled to death on the office floor thanks to a man that I thought I could trust. Moving made it feel as if the flesh on my back was tearing, but nonetheless, I shakily tried to prop myself up on my elbows.

"This has been a long time coming, _Master Regal_." His fingers suddenly tore into my scalp forcing my gaze to meet his as I gasped, still panting far breath. Through the swirl at the edges of my vision I saw the smirk cross his lips as he raised the knife, my blood still rolling along the steel blade. "And who will miss you? You're the last Bryant…and a murderer…"

"George…" It was all I could force past my lips with what little air I could take in. "…No…"

With a malicious laugh he plunged the knife into my side. I screamed. I screamed, but that was not the only voice I heard, someone else ad to be screaming with me. But I didn't trust my ears, or anything else, because if the pain had been overwhelming before it was all consuming now.

"Regal!" My name echoed around me, but I couldn't find the source of it, not as the blade was violently pulled out only to plunge in again. Red lined my sight now, yet I was sure I saw a hand tear George away from me, and as I crumpled back onto the floor I knew someone else indeed had to be there. Everything was fading, the sounds seemed further away, it was as if my grasp on everything was slipping, and I could barely feel the blood trickling down my back or the way my shackled wrists dug into the wound in my side because of how I was sprawled out.

"_You_! Of course it's you! She was always in the way…and you look just like her, you little phantom!" George's scream seemed strange. I blinked, trying to focus, to see what was going on around me, but I didn't even have the strength to lift my head. "I should have known the instant I saw you that you would get in my way too!"

"I will not allow you to harm Regal," the second voice, the one that had called out my name before and I swore I knew, cried out. With my blurred sight I could barely make out the scene before me, George facing this person who had come to defend me. Their back was to me, and it took a moment before I recognize just who had placed themselves between my old servant and me. Part of me was stunned I had not realized right away who had come to my rescue.

_P…Presea…_

"I swear…you might as well be some vengeful spirit…" the old man spat at her, and he moved towards her slowly the knife sweeping out in front of him. "You look just like her…I can't stand it!"

Weakly, I tried to get up once again, to at least move my arms so my metal bonds were not lodged in one of my wounds, but the attempt was in vain. I feel back to the floor, stars shimmering in my vision as I gasped at the new wave of pain. Presea glanced back at me for only a second, the concern on her features all I could make out through the blur, before she sprung at George. She caught him by the wrist, wrenching the knife from his grasp.

"No! I won't let you stop me! I've come so far!" George hissed as he brought back his hand to slap her across the face. But, not only was he frail in his old age, she didn't know of Presea's enhanced strength due to her Exsphere. She stopped his hand easily, then using her grip to throw him to the floor winding him. Struggling to get back up, not even taking the time to be stunned by her strength because of his rage, he lunged to retrieve the knife. "I have gone to great lengths to attain Lezareno…even allying with Vharley…and now it's time for all of that to pay off!"

"Vharley?" Presea murmured, her confusion causing her to hesitate and be too late to stop him from picking up the knife. "You…and Vharley?"

"He always managed to make a mess of things…the Elemental Railway…getting rid of that wretched servant girl…" the servant snarled as he slowly advanced on her, waving the blade before him to get her to move back. "But now I can finally reach my goal. Just Master Regal…and you…remain in my way."

"No!" she shouted as she ducked underneath the weapon, grabbing his arm and then kicking him in the stomach. Still holding his arm as the knife fell to the floor, Presea then whirled around, swinging George in a half circle, before releasing her grip to let him fly across the room. George's back hit the wall with a crack and his body crumpled limply to the floor, now harmless.

I felt blood seep up into my mouth, the taste causing me to gag, then cough until I could bring myself to spit it out. It was then a tentative set of hands clasped my shoulder, and I weakly looked up into azure eyes that were so heart wrenchingly familiar, filled with tears.

"Regal…hold on. I will get help," Presea insisted firmly while her body trembled. She looked torn between staying by my side and going to find assistance. My eyelids were growing so heavy, and the struggle to breathe was growing too much for me, which caused her to panic even more. "Regal! You have to stay awake! Please!"

"I…" I just couldn't keep my eyes open, not even in light of her pleas. As the darkness began to close around me, I heard her retreating footsteps and the click of the intercom on my desk. But I couldn't stay awake, I fought the exhaustion, the blood loss, and I lost. "…Sorry…"

To be continued

**End notes: **I still can't believe I left this for so long just sitting on my laptop. I apologize again. Hopefully you enjoyed and you'll stick around for the finale? Thanks to Christie again, I really couldn't do this without you!


	13. Thirteen

**Title:** On my Honor

**Author:** Yamato795

**Pairing:** Lots of mentions of RegalxAlicia, but no other ones planned at the moment…

**Rating:** Let's go PG-13 to be safe, since they do swear in the game, and the violence.

**Status:** Chapter 13 out of 14 parts. Hey, look I have a number!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Tales of Symphonia. Please don't sue me.

**Spoilers:** A TON, mostly for Regal. I'd say this story is better suited for those who have beaten the game if you ask me. Read at your own risk of spoiling anything. Since it starts where Regal comes in, it should spoil quite a bit of the game after that, don't you think?

**Summary:** Take a look through Regal's eyes as well as a look into his past.

**Author notes: **Considering that this has taken me FOREVER to post and to wrap up, I feel I must apologize again. Anyone who is still reading this, I feel as though I might have kept you waiting too long. Sorry for that. I've been doing this in bits and pieces though…and I finally have something to show for it! Next will come the epilogue as well! And I promise, it won't take as long! Enjoy! Thank you for following this for so long!

On my Honor

Chapter thirteen

There was light, as impossible as it seemed to some buried part of my rational mind, there was light that caused me to stir. I should not have been able to do anything, really, let alone stir because of a sudden brightness. Unless this was hell, instead of oblivion, how could I be awake and pondering such things now after George had stabbed me three times? My eyes were not even open and I knew that something wasn't right.

I attempted to sit up. Nothing hurt. Stranger yet, my eyes snapped open me because the movement caused me to learn something startling. My hands were not shackled together.

_What in the world…?_

Glancing about, I found my surroundings to practically be glowing, but it was nothing like the fire and brimstone I'd anticipated. The ground beneath me was as white and vast as above me, all of it shimmering as if the sun were caressing it with its light, stretching on far around me. I couldn't help but look down at my abdomen, finding it untouched, somehow no longer marred by George's betrayal, and brushing one of my hands over the small of my back confirmed that I was injured. That couldn't be. What was going on? What happened to me?

Last I remembered, I was lying on the floor of my office, bleeding profusely after George had attacked me. I could still see the worry, the fear that had gripped Presea's azure eyes as she had knelt beside me. But there were no markings, not wounds on my body, and I was not in the Lezareno building, so had that all been a nightmare? Or had I…was I really…

"Am I…dead…?" I whispered disbelievingly. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, the tension in my limbs, and my eyes straining against the brightness all around me. Wouldn't I have lost those feelings if I had truly died, or was hell just more than I had imagined?

A giggle, a bright happy sound that struck me as familiar, suddenly came from at my side. There hadn't been anyone around me a moment ago, so I whirled towards the source of the sound, and went stock still a second later at the sight that awaited me.

_It…it can't be…_

"Hello, Regal." The voice was perfect, melodic and warm. The smile that accompanied it was just as I remembered it, just as beautiful as out of his dreams, and he couldn't help but gape. It looked just her, even if that should not have been possible. Yet no matter if I shook my head, or blinked rapidly, she did not disappear.

"Alicia…" _But if it's really you…then aren't I…_

"I'm so happy to have another chance to see you again, Master Regal." She took a few steps towards me, her grin never wavering. My mind was reeling the closer she came, trying to sort out where I was, what was going on, and if she was a phantom or not.

"But I…am I…" _…dead? _I couldn't voice that word to her, not if there was really the chance that she was the Alicia I had loved with every fiber of my being because she would never have wanted me to be struck down. She had wanted me to live. Even if it was already too late, even if I had already passed on, I couldn't bear to hurt her with this.

Alicia shook her head, the movement causing her short pink pigtails to whip side to side. "No, Regal. But…I had to see you again…"

_So George really…and I'm not…_

She threw her arms around my middle and all thoughts were lost to me. No matter the circumstances, the hows and whys of how such a thing was happening, what mattered at that moment was that Alicia was in my arms again. Instantly I returned her embrace, holding her tight, as my eyes fell shut in an attempt to savor the moment. How long had I dreamed of this? How long had I grieved the loss of her gentle touch?

Tears suddenly welled in my gaze as a wave of guilt replaced the initial swell of joy. What was I doing? I didn't deserve to hold her, to have her smile at me, or any of her kindness, not when I had been the one to take her life. She would have lived if it weren't for me. Slowly, hesitantly, I tried to pull back from her.

Her arms abruptly tightened around me, and she buried her face in my chest. Had I always been this tall next to her? I couldn't move though. I'd meant to draw back, and while I could have easily done so if I'd truly wanted to, I could see that she didn't want me to. Alicia held me even tighter, whispering, "Please…Regal…it's been so long…I don't want to let go yet."

"But, Alicia, I--"

"No, Regal, no." Her gaze lifted to meet mine, a steadfast conviction behind the gentleness that I always found there. "I asked you to stop punishing yourself and I meant it. What happened has never changed how I feel for you. I love you, I don't want to see you suffer anymore, and I don't want to waste another minute that I have with you right now. Don't apologize for something that wasn't your fault. Just…hold me…and don't say anything about that."

While there was still a voice in the back of my mind that insisted there were still things that I had to say to her, things that I had held in that day eight years ago, I couldn't resist just pulling her closer to me. I did not want to let her go either. Her scent, the feel of her in my arms, it was like it had always been, how I had strived to keep it alive in my memory. None of this should have been possible, yet it all felt so real, and I didn't want to question it too much, for delirious dream or whatever, having Alicia with me again was well worth it. "I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that." She looked up at me, still smiling. "I didn't want to see you for an apology, Regal."

"Alicia…"

"I've missed you so much. I love you so much," Alicia murmured in the crook of my neck, her soft voice gradually soothing me, lulling me into forgetting everything else but her. It had always been that way with her before, for when she was close my world drastically shrunk until she and I were all that remained, wrapped tightly together under the stairs. There was an ache that coupled those memories now, the painful reminder that things would never be that way again. "I will never stop loving you, Regal, and that's why I don't want you to keep punishing yourself. I can't stand to see you suffer anymore…I want you to be happy. I want you to live your life without being weighed down by your guilt."

"I…" What could I say now? She didn't want me to apologize, and while I deserved her loathing more than anything else, Alicia wanted me to be happy. I felt her hand on my cheek then, gently coaxing my gaze back to hers and I could not resist becoming immersed in the tender azure of her eyes.

Silky fingertips brushed a lock of my hair back sending a small shiver down my spine, and then one of them traced my lips reverently. "You have so much of your life ahead of you, Master Regal, and you should be free to live it."

"But…" I caught her hand, squeezing it. "I want _you _with me, Alicia."

Alicia shook her head with a small laugh. "It's not time for that yet."

What did she mean by that? I was so confused. She felt like Alicia, the same sweet scent, the same melodic voice, and yet Alicia was dead. The only way that this could be possible was if I had died as well by George's hand. If this was to be my fate, to be reunited with her, why would my end have been so horrible? How long had I already waited to join her? "But, Alicia--"

"I only have a little more time, Regal, so please let me tell you one last thing." She'd put a finger to my lips again, this time to silence me. Her smile had grown a little sad, and there were tears welling up behind the azure hues of her eyes, those things urging me to hold her closer. "I'm…I'm so proud of you."

"Proud of me?" What could this be about? I wasn't sure what was happening, if this was real or not, but the fact that everything seemed _right_ was enough for me to focus more on what she was trying to tell me.

"When you were faced with the choice, when you were ready to lay down your life so that your friends could keep going and continue the fight, Lloyd asked you to keep living…and you listened to him," Alicia told me softly, her fingers caressing my cheeks. "You didn't have to. You could have ignored him, or told him that it wasn't his place to ask you that. You didn't. You chose to live, Regal, and for that, I'm proud of you."

"Alicia…" I started slowly fumbling for words, but stopped when she looked over her shoulder suddenly as if she'd heard something. Her smile had faded just a little, the intensity not quite as luminous as it had been a moment before. "What is it?"

"I can't stay much longer," she whispered as he hugged me tight once again, and then leaning up to kiss my lips. For years I had gone without her touch and now it threatened to overwhelm me, my knees feeling weak as I began to sway. When I had become light headed? Her hand on my cheek made me focus again. "I love you, Regal. I'm proud of you, and I want you to be happy."

"I want to be with you," I murmured even though my thoughts were becoming clouded, my legs still unsteadying as I felt her pull out of my grasp. I tried to reach for her but missed since my vision was blurred, and I heard her take a few steps back from me. She was leaving! No, I couldn't stand to lose her again. I belonged with her, I always had. "Alicia, please…I love you…"

"I want to be with you, too, Master." Her voice was soft, and fading. I'd fallen to my knees, as my legs could no longer hold me upright. I was holding out my hand, pleading with her silently to take it, to stay with me here. The white light that had been illuminating everything around me, the endless white floor and ceiling, was fading as well, darkness edging into my blurred sight.

Even still, I watched her back away, or tried to. "…Please…"

Twice I had lost her. Twice I had seen her die, first her body, eight years ago, and then her spirit which had been trapped on the Sky Terrace, only weeks before. My soul could not take only being half once again. Alicia was what completed me. I needed her.

"It's not time for that yet." Was she shaking her head as she backed away? It was getting so dark, so hard to see her now. "You chose to live. I want you to live."

_Do I still want to live?_

_She wants me to…how can I deny her that?_

_But…aren't I already dead?_

There was only pitch black and the sense of being alone, lost, wrapped in the darkness and suspended in nothingness. My thoughts weren't clear, or coherent. For an instant, I thought I heard her voice again, heard her whisper goodbye and the warmth of her arms around me, yet just as soon as I thought I'd felt anything there was then nothing.

I choked on a breath as my eyes snapped open. I was instantly blinded by hot lights and hit with waves of pain.

"Regal!" the voice that called out my names was familiar, instantly making me feel less startled. Arms wrapped around my neck as my vision gradually cleared and adjusted to the lights. Pink hair rested against my cheek. My heart whispered one name, but my lips rasped out another. "…Presea…"

My mind was catching up to my surroundings. Presea held me tightly, no matter how awkward it was since I was lying on a bed. The lights hung above me hummed dully, shinning a bit too brightly. The pain was in my back and in my abdomen from where I had been stabbed, which was why I was laying on my side. I blinked again, taking in the reality of it. This was real, was it not? Or had seeing Alicia just been the prelude to this dream, this dream where Presea sounded frightened and my entire body was aching?

"Regal?" Over Presea's shoulder came another voice, one that surprised me. My eyes snapped up from the girl that held tight to me to a young man that stood just behind her. The red of his Dwarven-sewn clothes stood out, but it was his eyes that drew mine. He looked so concerned, and at the same time, relieved. He gave me a weak smile. "You really scared us there… How are you feeling?"

_I'm…alive…?_

"Lloyd?" I tried to look around, to see more of the room that we were in, but Presea drew back and gently urged me with her hands not to move. My voice sounded strange to me, dry, hoarse. "What…George…he…"

"We know, Regal," Lloyd replied gently, biting his lip for a second. "We all came as soon as Presea reached us. Raine helped heal you. You're going to be okay."

_I'm…going to be all right…?_

_But…I thought…_

_She said it wasn't time…which…is why….I'm still here…_

I did my best to look around a bit more, not moving my head as it was throbbing dully, and managing to see that Lloyd and Presea were standing in front of me, five figures that I knew well standing behind them. Not only Raine was there, as they mentioned, but Zelos, Sheena, Colette, and Genis as well. They had all come. Presea had contacted each of them. I couldn't believe it, even though after everything I knew they were my friends, I was still surprised to see them there in that room.

"But…what…" I still couldn't get my voice to cooperate. I was not only parched, but dazed. How long had I been unconscious? What had happened while I'd been out? Presea squeezed my neck a little, gently, being cautious, before she drew back. Perhaps she saw the questions running through my mind in my gaze, because her expression darkened a little, and then her gaze fell to the floor.

"George…he…got away, Regal…" she whispered softly. Her words caused Lloyd's smile to fall away even if she didn't notice. "I'm sorry…when I was calling for help…I…I didn't see him escape. He must have slipped out in the confusion downstairs…"

"Presea, you didn't mean for that to happen, and island security has been looking for him for the past two days," Genis commented gently from behind her, his tone soothing. He was obviously worried for her as well. The fact he was protective of her had not changed, no matter how strong the ax woman had become over the journey, and oddly enough, at that moment, it was reassuring that this wasn't another dream. "We'll find him. Now that we know that Regal is all right, we can find that creep!"

"We're not going to rest until we do, you know that," Sheena remarked as she took a step forward, putting a hand on Presea's shoulder before leaning down to try to meet my gaze. "You really scared us, Regal. How are you feeling?"

"Everything aches…." I answered honestly without really thinking. After I had taken a few deep breaths, I finally managed to get out a more coherent statement, although it probably just worried them all the more. Had they really come all that way because Presea had told them I had been hurt? That question quickly faded from my clouded mind though when I realized that if George had escaped then he would get away with all that he had done, everything he'd mentioned in the past, and everything he'd done recently. "How…bad was it?"

"It would have been worse if Presea hadn't called the paramedics when she did," Raine explained as she took a few steps closer, tilting her head to the side. "Things could have been much worse if they had not arrived as quickly as they did, and I was happy to help them as much as I could. If you'd like, I could cast another spell, it might help with the pain…?"

"No…I think…I'll be all right…" I assured her softly.

"You'd better be. When we find George, we want you on your feet so we can show that son of a bitch he has no right to play with lives, let alone try to take one!" Zelos exclaimed crossing his arms over his chest.

_Play with lives…how did they….?_

"Zelos, right now is not the time for your babbling. Regal needs his rest!" the female ninja chided him, giving him a look and rolling her eyes once she saw how he deflated.

"He's been out for two days, how much more sleep could he need?" Lloyd asked only to be struck over the head by the Professor. He held the offended area, looking slightly hurt, and then he sighed. "Okay, okay, Regal needs his rest. You could have just said so…"

"Maybe we should let Regal rest then so he'll feel even better later?" Colette suggested looking up to the silver haired half-elven woman with her hands clasped in front of her. She was of course, trying to be helpful, the completely selfless girl that I had met at the beginning of my part of the journey had not changed all that much other than her resolve was stronger, and she seemed to carry herself lighter without the burden of being Chosen.

"That's an excellent idea, Colette. Regal was severely injured, and while it's an excellent sign that he's awake, he needs time to heal. Peace and quiet will certainly give him the chance to do so," Raine remarked a bit pointedly as she let her eyes trail over the group. "It's not as if Regal is going anywhere, we'll talk about visiting later, I think that now I'd like to take a look at his wounds and then let him get some more rest. All of you I'm sure can find something to occupy yourselves with?"

The way she had said her last question, it gave me a feeling I knew just what activity she was referring to, but I didn't really want to think about it at the moment. The throbbing in the back of my skull was enough to distract me, along with the aches in my side and back.

"Right, that…" Lloyd murmured mostly to himself before he flashed me a warm smile. "We'll be back soon, Regal, okay? Get some rest or Raine might start smacking you too."

The Professor shot him a harsh look that had the young swordsman ducking for the door of the room quickly to get out of her reach. Behind him, Genis followed, laughing and waving back at me, and Colette hurried after them both out to door. Zelos snorted from the chair he sat in, looking put off at being pushed out.

"Come on, it's not like I'm going to keep him up…" the red headed swordsman protested with a groan. When all he received was Sheena grabbing his ear, dragging him out of his chair and out of the room, I heard him yelping all the way down the hall, the sound mingled with a shouted goodbye from both him and the ninja. It seemed that while they didn't really want to go, they were going to listen to the Professor as they always did, at least for the moment while they had other things to keep them busy.

I was a little surprised to see Raine reach out and catch Presea's shoulder, stopping her before she could start to walk away. The pink haired girl looked up to her a bit surprised, but she seemed relieved by the gesture that she didn't have to leave at the moment, and it warmed me that she wanted to stay. There was an urge to have her stay, to have her there with me after I had seen Alicia, but I couldn't bring myself to ask her not to go either, especially when Raine seemed intent on making sure I got the rest I needed.

"Presea, as long as it's all right with Regal, why don't you stay for a little while longer?" Raine suggested in a gentle voice, gesturing to a chair that was close to the head of the bed I was resting on. She offered the young woman a warm smile before her eyes passed over me knowingly, as if she'd read my thoughts and knew just how much I wanted Presea there. While I didn't think I could tell her about seeing Alicia while I had been unconscious, I needed her there, especially as I knew she was the reason I was still alive.

"Thank you, Raine," she murmured softly, pulling the chair closer and then taking a seat, her hands clasped in her lap.

"Now, Regal, I need you to tell me where it hurts the most. Please be honest. It's for your benefit, not mine," the Professor remarked still wearing that knowing smile. Perhaps she could read me as well as Presea. "I can use another spell if you think it will help."

"…My side hurts the worst…" I didn't see how it couldn't, especially after I had been stabbed there twice. I bit my lip as I felt Raine's hands begin to lightly travel over my sides and back, which I finally noticed as being heavily bandaged, checking for any signs of bleeding. Trying to distract myself, I watched Presea for a moment. She had seemed so upset when she had knelt down next to me in my office, so frightened, and I couldn't believe that I had been the one to do that to her.

"You're going to have to stay off your feet for the next day or so. Fortunately for you, the spells I used before repaired most of the damage but you'll still need to give your body time to recover," the half elven woman commented from behind me while examining my back. "You shouldn't even have any scars, I believe."

"Thanks to you…and to Presea…" I commented, the corner of my lips curling ever so slightly. "I owe you both my life…"

"Good then perhaps you'll listen to me when I tell you to take it easy for a while," the Professor chuckled before there was a small flash of light from where she stood. "Are you okay? First Aid!"

"How do you feel now? Any better?" Presea asked shifting to sit on the edge of her chair. It made me ache that I was worrying her, that in spite of everything she was so fearful of my condition worsening, and at the same time, it warmed me immensely. If things had turned out differently, Presea would have been my sister-in-law, and even though fate never allowed for that, she still felt like family to me. I would always be thankful for her friendship and would do anything to keep it.

Some of the ache, the burning where the wounds had once been, faded, and I couldn't help but sigh in relief. "Better. Thank you."

Without really thinking, I reached with one hand to feel my side, gingerly, being mindful of the bandages, and had to gasp. Pain did not cause me to do so, the movement itself did. I had moved one hand. One, on its own, completely free of restrictions. My breath caught in my throat as my gaze snapped down. The shackles were gone! The bonds I had worn for eight years, the symbol of my crime, and the punishment I bore willingly were gone without a trace. I could only stare, speechless, stunned.

For so long I had worn those shackles, a manifestation of my sins to make sure that I never forgot what I had done. Eight years of bondage, day in and day out with my wrists chained together, were over.

"…My…" Again my voice abandoned me. I could not find the words to describe the waves of emotions flooding me, the guilt mixed with a sense of freedom I was not certain I could earn. The handcuffs had been my punishment and a selfish part of me rejoiced that that punishment might finally be over. Another part was furious with myself for finding any joy in having been freed when I had murdered the woman I loved. I blinked, but the sight of my bare wrists remained, not fading like a fleeting fantasy.

_They're gone…but how…?_

"Regal…" Raine's gentle tone somehow broke through my shock, coaxing me back into the moment. "When the paramedic's arrived…they had to treat your wounds quickly…but your shackles made it difficult. They were getting in the way…so…"

"I broke them to get them off," Presea stated bluntly.

"You…" I whispered in disbelief my azure eyes gaspingly wide.

"There wasn't time for much else. The paramedics needed them out of the way immediately, and they were lucky that Presea was there to take care of it," the half elven woman remarked as she moved back into my line of sight. She held her hands behind her back, observing me, her lips pressed into an indifferent line. The only impression I could get from her stance was that she was trying to convey she had no opinion on the matter but the logical one of the fact if the handcuffs were an obstacle then they had to be removed.

_But…they were…_

_Can it be so simple? Can my punishment be over?_

"You no longer needed them anyway," the ax woman stated in a voice that left no room for argument, evenly keeping my gaze.

"But, Presea…" It couldn't be so simple, so easy, it just couldn't. Perhaps, before the confrontation with George, I had felt that Id' begun to really atone for my sins, but did that warrant my freedom from my bonds? Did I really deserve to have my hands free, to no longer look like a prisoner or criminal after what I had done? What right did I have to just discard the shackles? True, I hadn't been the one to do it, but could I just go on without them?

It didn't feel right. Would it dishonor Alicia's memory? While the shackles had been a physical reminder of what I had done, I would never forget my beloved even if I was without the metal bonds. Could I truly just shrug off my punishment, my burden?

"On the terrace…you promised Alicia you would remove them when we defeated Cruxis and the people who used Exspheres to hurt others," the pink haired girl interjected quickly, the strength behind her words only matched by the determination in her blue eyes. "We have met that goal. You don't need them anymore, Regal."

I was struck breathless. Not only had she remembered my vow to her sister, but she sounded as if she firmly believed that I no longer needed my shackles. Even though I had taken Alicia's life, Presea did not hate me, she seemed to want me to stop punishing myself just as her sister had on the Sky Terrace. I was dumbfounded, and at the same time I was nearly overcome by a sense of acceptance from Presea, a feeling of joy at the face she felt as she did. Tears began to well in my eyes but I held them back, not sure what to say anymore.

"She's right. You can't break your word," Raine added a bit smugly. Throughout our journey, Raine had been looking after each of us, inspite of the fact that some of us either matched her in age or were older, mothering all of us equally. Oddly enough, I was somewhat used to it.

"Presea…" I murmured carefully choosing my words, wanting to find the right ones to express how I felt. "Thank you…so much. I owe you a great deal…I don't know how I will ever be able to repay you for all that you've done for me or all the kindness you have shown me."

Shaking her head, Presea smiled ever so slightly. "You don't owe one anything. We are friends, and friends look out for one another."

I couldn't help it, I had to grin as well. Hearing her say that, even if it was difficult for me to accept that I did not owe her anything, meant more than I could describe. Her friendship was something I would cherish and strive to never betray. In the brief moments I had been with Alicia while I was unconscious, she had tried to assure me that she did not blame me, and now her sister was trying to tell me that I was not indebted to her. Perhaps this all was a pleasant dream, one to comfort my battered soul, but then why did it all feel so real?

Without realizing it, I had fallen silent, and Raine began to speak softly, privately to the young ax woman. The fact that I was still a bit stunned allowed their conversation to continue for a few minutes while I was trying to picture my life without my shackles. It seemed, in some ways, I was being given my old life back, yet the striking differences did not escape me.

I had lost Alicia, but now I had Presea, Lloyd, and all of the others. I was no longer a prisoner, free to resume my position as President of the Lezareno Company, and I could use such a position to aid the unified worlds. George had apparently opposed that, just as he had been trying to be rid of me for most of my life if I remembered things clearly, but now he was on the run. With my friends looking for him, it would probably only be a matter of time until he was found. When that happened things would be relatively normal.

_I…never imagined…things being normal again…_

"Regal?" Presea's soft voice broke into my thoughts, grounding me once more.

I blinked once or twice. "Yes?"

"I'll be back in a little while. Raine thinks we should let you rest for a while. Please get some sleep…" While her expression was almost blank it did not mask the concern in her gaze.

"I will, Presea," I assured her, smiling slightly. Even though she seemed reluctant to leave, she turned and started for the door of the room, stopping and turning to glance back as if she expected me to vanish. I watched her go, still marveling at what she had done for me, and at the depth of the bond between us. While I wondered what she might do now to keep herself busy, I was more curious as to what she had been whispering about with Raine and why the Professor had not left as well if she was so concerned about my recuperation.

Raising one eyebrow, I looked up at the silver haired woman. "What is it? I have the feeling you wished to speak with me alone…"

"I thought it best not to address the subject with anyone else around…although it's not as if they don't already know about it…" Raine commented as she took a seat in the chair that Presea had vacated. She sighed. "Regal, I'm sure you're aware there are security cameras throughout the Lezareno building?"

My entire body tensed. The cameras, I had completely forgotten about the cameras in my office! The entire confrontation with George, how he had attacked me, would be in that footage unless the system had been turned off or damaged. I closed my eyes, realizing why she would want to talk to me about that, why she'd do so when we were alone. "The…others…watched the security tape?"

"When we arrived, Presea was very shaken. She did her best to tell us what happened, but it would have been cruel to push her to tell us more. Your security staff gave us the tape because they thought it would help. Presea refused to see it, but I could not convince the others not to view it," she explained slowly while her fingers curled into the length of her jacket. "It's why they are all very determined to find George now. All that he was done…is unforgivable."

_All that he's done…_

_My parents…Alicia…_

_I can't let him get away with all of that._

"…Raine…I need to see the tape as well. There might be something there….something…that might tell me where he'd go…" I said after a moment. That was only partly why I wanted to see the footage myself. While I'd been bleeding, in pain, and dazed, I'd heard George say things that I wanted to be utterly, absolutely sure of. I needed to be certain.

"Do you think that's wise?" Raine asked with a slight tilt of her head. "I have seen it, and I did not notice anything that would hint to where George may have fled to. If you think you need to see it, at least wait until you are feeling better."

"He and Vharley….they've been behind it all…just trying to take Lezareno from me…" I whispered, shutting my eyes. My family, my beloved, all of them had been caught in this plot to steal the company that had been in my family for generations. "I cannot allow him to get away with it. I have to make him pay for what he has done."

She nodded knowingly, probably having anticipated my reaction. "Island security, royal guards, Mizuho's information network, and the others are all looking for George as we speak. They will find him. What you need to do now is rest so that when they do, you'll be able to be there and make sure that this man never harms someone again. Let us take care of you for now, at the very least for Presea's sake. She was very worried about you."

It seemed that Raine knew exactly what to say to get me to comply with what she thought was best. I had to wonder if it was skill Lloyd had learned from her, or if it was natural for them both to behave as such.

"I trust all of you, Raine, and I appreciate your help," I remarked after a moment. I wasn't going to agree not to watch the security tape, not yet at least.

She grinned in return, climbing to her feet. "Good. Then get some sleep, you'll need it for when you have plenty of company soon. There's a nurse just outside of the room, so let her know if you need anything."

"Thank you. I will," I reassured her with a small smile.

"You should know by now that you're more than welcome," the Professor retorted just before she exited the room without a sound.

"I need to speak with all of you," I said in a voice that was far more even than I expected, clasping my hands in my lap as I watched them all file into the room I'd been staying in under Raine's strict supervision of my recovery. Presea hurried past Lloyd the moment she was inside to take the chair near the head of the bed I was seated in, a habit she had developed over the past three days. Colette took the chair on Presea's left, and Sheena took the one at my feet. Lloyd and Genis opted to stand in the area between where the girls sat, Raine stood on the opposite side to the blonde Chosen and ax woman, while Zelos leaned back in a corner wearing half a smile.

"What's going on, Regal?" Genis asked once everyone seemed comfortable.

Lloyd rested his hands on the hilts of his swords. "Yeah, what did you need to talk to us about?"

"We…would have told you if we…found out anything new, you know," the red headed swordsman commented somewhat reluctantly. He didn't want to say plainly that he didn't have any new information on the whereabouts of my former servant and attacker. Tossing his hair over his shoulder, he raised on eyebrow to give me a pointed look. "And I hope this isn't an attempt to get us to plea for your release from bed rest, El Presidente, because I think you might be well enough to find out how hard the lovely Professor hits if that's the case."

"Zelos…" Sheena murmured in warning but it only earned her a playful wave and a wink.

"I watched the security video," I informed them after a moment. It had plagued my mind for the first two days I was restricted to bed rest just what answers might be contained on the footage of my attack, answers that my faulty, shaky memory might not hold.

"What? Why?" Colette asked clasping her hands in front of her as her young features filled with concern.

"Regal, why…would you want to see that?" the Eternal Swordsman questioned me gently, his fingers clutching tightly to his weapons. He was holding something back, I could see it in the way he had his jaw clenched, but perhaps he was trying to give me a chance to explain. "Why…would you want to live through that again…even if it was on tape?"

"The things that George said when it happened…I know he was raving at the time, but I had to hear them again," I insisted avoiding meeting Presea's gaze even from the side.

"He was crazy, Regal! He _hurt_ you," Sheena exclaimed sitting forward in the wooden chair, frowning deeply. "It can't be healthy to--"

"I believe George murdered my parents." I did not wait for her to finish because to understand why I had viewed the videotape they had to understand my reasons for watching it. "Some of the things he said when he attacked me…I had to be sure. I had to be absolutely sure."

"He…killed…your parents?" Presea whispered as the others gasped, horror gripping them after my words sank in. She reached out, putting a hand on my arm, seeking my eyes. I couldn't bring myself to look at her just yet, not after all I had learned. "Regal…"

"That…how could that have happened, Regal?" Raine inquired the first to say anything else. Being such a rational person, of course the Professor could get past the shock of what I had put together form my former servant's rants with logic. "When did this happen, Regal?"

"Years ago. I was seventeen when my parents were in a terrible accident that claimed their lives…at least…it was always thought of as an accident. There was never any reason to believe otherwise…no evidence of foul play…" I explained taking deep breaths to try to remain calm. I had to tell them what I believed to be true. "The accident happened on the Elemental Railway, at night, and I would have been with them if I…hadn't asked to go talk to someone. There was an explosion. In an instant…they were gone. The investigations I had done never turned up the cause of the explosion."

"So…you never knew what really happened that night…?" Colette whispered hanging her head. Her deflated posture nearly made me feel guilty for including her, but in spite of her continued innocence she had been through a great deal already and while it was unfair to put her through more it would be even more so not to tell her.

"No. Nothing was conclusive other than that my parents did not survive," I replied after a moment my fists clenching on their own.

"That's horrible…" Lloyd said quietly shifting on his feet a bit uneasily.

"I…remember that. I was just a kid, but there was a lot of buzz around Meltokio…and a lot of people devastated," the red headed Chosen of Tethe'alla remarked, pushing himself off the wall and strolling over to stand behind Sheena's chair. "There was even a royal investigation, right? But nothing turned up from that either, I guess…"

"No. The royal investigation did not find anything either." None of the investigations had results though they had continued on long after the funerals. I closed my eyes, readjusting the calm expression I was wearing. After everything, and with George still running free, I could not allow my emotions to get the better of me now when they would only get in the way. "The Elemental Railway was closed for over a month…and I changed the regulations so it no longer ran to Lezareno at night."

"Did he…admit what he'd done?" Genis asked cautiously more than aware of what a sensitive topic this had become. Chewing his lip, the young half-elf glanced to Presea to see that she was all right. "We watched the tape…but we had no idea what he meant sometimes…"

"What he did say was far from a confession, but all of it together…the pieces fit," I said with a nod. "He said 'I have gone to great lengths to obtain Lezareno' and said that he had even allied with Vharley. I…had never suspected that _Vharley_ had been involved with the deaths of my parents, but George blamed him as well as me for it not being a complete success. He…raved about how I always managed to survive, both the accident and prison."

"George did not want you to return from prison…" Raine mumbled, perhaps she'd only meant to say it to herself, yet I was certain all of us heard. She held her chin, considering, theorizing over what she'd heard, what I had told her, and probably her own experiences with George. "Lloyd, you told me that when the rest of you first came to Altamira, George was the one that directed you to Sky Terrace, correct?"

"Yeah, he gave us his employee ID," the young swordsman nodded.

"He thought that I…was Alicia," Presea half-whispered breaking my resolve to avoid her gaze. My former servant had slandered her sister again in his fury, claiming the ax-woman had been in his way as much as my love had been.

"He might have meant…to ward all of you away…or even pit you against Regal if…if you meant to avenge your sister," the Professor stated evenly as a deep frown crossed her lips. "And when you came back, Regal, he…didn't look relieved…"

"He looked more like he wanted to jump off the roof…" Sheena commented dryly.

"As long as I remained in prison…he was the acting President of the company, it was what he'd always wanted…what he'd killed for…" I muttered unable to hold back the bitter not that crept into my tone. "But he…he was the one that sent Alicia away in the first place! He was the on that…that…"

Without a word, Presea stood from her chair, wrapping her arms around me as best she and as carefully as she could. It should not have felt strange to me to put one arm around her, being mindful of my injuries as well, but it was not because of the sudden closeness in our friendship that made it odd, no. Having my hands free again was sadly new to me, alien, but I could not look at it as anything but something to be grateful for because Presea had been the one to remove them. She did not have to say anything to me for me to know what she was thinking.

_George and Vharley…took both of our families from us…_

_But it was my fault. Alicia was caught up in all of it because of me._

"Don't worry, Regal, Presea…we're going to find him," Zelos insisted, the one to break the silence. "There isn't anywhere that he can hide from us."

"Mizuho is working night and day to track him down," the dark haired ninja added to be reassuring, clasping her hands in her lap for lack of something to do. "Once we find him, we'll drag what's left of him to Meltokio for the King to deal with."

"He won't get away with what he's done," Lloyd remarked when his gaze pointedly met mine. The leader of our group, though the words had been saved he didn't seem to have lost that unofficial authority at least, was promising me to find my attacker. I should not have been surprised, when I had first woken up he and the other had all seemed absolutely determined to hunt down George. Now after my realization that the man who had served my family for years had tried to kill us all and had murdered my parents, it seemed that determination had increased. On our journey, we had protected one another, and I should never have doubted that that loyalty and protection would not continue once our goals had been met.

"Yeah, we'll find him, Regal," Colette assured me gently from where she sat, mustering up a smile for my sake. "You just worry about getting better."

"I…might actually know where he is hiding," I murmured quietly my eyes darting off to the side. Though I was loathe to admit it now, I knew George, I had for almost my entire life, thus I had a fairly good idea of just how his mind worked even if I'd never known about the darker parts of it until now. I'd been contemplating it for some time now, and I had a strong feeling about the only guess that held any true merit.

"Really?" Genis exclaimed.

"Regal, how…?" Presea breathed out, trailing off and biting her lower lip. I put my free hand on her shoulder.

"George knows about the security cameras in Lezareno. He knows that he cannot hide out in the open, whether I survived or not, regardless of if he is even aware of it," I explained with a sigh. "Even so, there are only so many places he would think to go because he does not know anything about Sylvarant."

"Then…where do you believe he would hide?" Raine asked curiously, her arms folded over her chest as she observed me. Whenever the silver haired healer was in the room she was continuously watching me for sings of pain or discomfort.

"The Toize Valley Mine." The sight had been in my family for generations, but only now had it truly become a blight upon the world, a place where the curse of the Exspheres had begun.

"What? But, I heard that the mine had been sealed off!" Zelos gasped before he glanced to Sheena, silently asking her without words. Mizuho's Information Network was far more extensive then what our small group could hope to achieve and had to have covered more ground. Our summoner friend would know if the mines had been examined or not to matter what the supposed state of the location was.

Sheena frowned, shaking her head. Either the mines had not been checked or she didn't know if they had.

"George was one of the ones in charge of the demolition. I was there as well, but I did not stay for the entire process," I informed them. "He could be there. What better place to hide than a place that is supposed to be sealed off and abandoned?"

Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, Lloyd laughed shortly, nervously. "We didn't think to look there."

"But we can look now," the young mage insisted pumping a fist in the air, ready to get moving. "If he's there, there's only so deep he can go into the mines, right? We didn't bust up all of the security…he'd still need you to get into the deepest part, right, Regal?"

I nodded. "The security measures should still be in place. Nothing should have been damaged by the demolition that would allow him access to Exsphere mines."

"Then we'll go check it out," Sheena declared as she stood.

"And I will go with you," I nodded.

The slap I received to the back of the head was one I was not expecting, and it was followed by Raine's firm chastisement of, "You most certainly will not!"

Zelos covered his mouth but didn't really manage to hide his snicker. "See? What did I tell you?"

"Raine, maybe it's just me, but I think now might not be the time to start hitting the patient…" Sheena commented gently, safely out of the silver haired teacher's reach. She then raised an eyebrow at me. "Though it might not be time for you to be thinking about being on your feet let alone chasing after bad guys either, Regal. We'll keep you informed about what we find."

"There's a difference between being informed and involved," I pointed out after holding in a slight wince at the throbbing in the back of my head. Zelos had not been joking about Raine's swing.

"There's a difference between giving your body proper time to heal and making things worse for yourself too," Genis remarked. "We can handle tracking George down, you should stay here and rest. You've already worried Presea and the rest of us enough."

Of course the spellcaster was the one to use that argument against me, a reversal from when we first met and he wanted me nowhere near Presea. Yet, I did not think I could back down this time, not even for her sake since it would be more for her as well that my former servant be found. She deserved justice for what happened to Alicia. I bit my lip and shook my head. "I want to go with rest of you. I _need _to be there."

"Um, Regal, you're not exactly in the shape to head into a fight," our teenage leader said running his fingers through his hair.

"How much of a fight do you think that old man can up? He caught El Presidente off guard last time, and it's not like Regal will be on his own," the Chosen of Tethe'alla remarked putting his hands on his hips and trying to hold back part of his smirk.

"Zelos," Raine started in a warning tone.

"Now, hold on, hunny," he raised his hands up as if in surrender. "I'm just saying…because I think it would be better to bring Regal _with_ us then have him alone, following us, making his injuries worse without your miracle healing magic ready. Don't you agree? You can give him a few more rounds of healing before we leave, and we can escort him from the mines if he seems to be doing worse. Doesn't that sound fair?"

"Do you really want to risk it, Regal?" Presea asked me gently, squeezing my arm slightly, but not asking me outright to stay behind. I was surprised she didn't, but then again, perhaps she felt she couldn't after all that I had just told them. Or perhaps she just understood why I needed to be there.

"Fine, but you will allow us to scout the Toize Valley Mines first to see if George is there or not before you go anywhere. We need confirmation first," the Professor sighed shaking her head at my request. She was probably disappointed in me since I was really the only other adult, or at least I was usually behaved like it, in our group. "Until then, you will rest so that afterwards you might not need to return to this bed."

"Yes. Thank you, all of you," I nodded once again.

"How do you feel, Regal?" Raine asked when she landed the Rheaird she insisted we share on the ground outside of the Toize Valley Mine, watching me intently as I carefully stepped off the back of the vehicle a moment later. For the past few days she had been observing me, watching me for any sign that my recovery was not where it should be and I should be put back on bed rest instead of tracking down my attacker. She was still waiting for an opportunity to send me home even after the information network had reported suspecting that someone was indeed inside the mine and we were there to investigate.

"I feel fine, Raine," I replied once again, having had answered the same question quite a bit recently. Though I couldn't really do more than walk without pain, I could at least move about on my own, and I was determined to use my regained mobility to see just who or what was in the mines.

"This might just be nothing, you know." Sheena came up to my side, one hand on her hip, the other pulling out her Divine Judgment cards. They had all steadfastly refused to bring me if I wore my greaves, so I was technically weaponless at the moment, not allowed to do anything but be present. "It could just be some vagrant, some monster, and you could be straining yourself for nothing."

"I'm not straining myself," I insisted.

"You're not going to convince him to stay behind, hunny," Zelos chuckled slipping an arm around the ninja's shoulders and pouting when she shrugged out from under him. "What? He's bound and determined to go. Besides we have a master healer with us, and almost all of the monsters have cleared out."

"Still, we have to be careful." Lloyd drew his swords with practiced ease, the light in his eyes shifting from the usual mischievousness to something serious, intent. He glanced each of us over, as though contemplating how we were going to accomplish this, and then he sighed. "Did they clear us a path when they came scouting, Sheena, or do we need to get digging first?"

"They said that they didn't even have to. There was a path that wasn't very well hidden already dug out," the summoner informed us.

"Then there really is someone here," Presea commented biting her lower lip for a moment.

Genis smirked up at Sheena. "Still wanna try to convince Regal that it's just monsters out here?"

"Hey! I said it _could_ be monsters!" she exclaimed defensively.

"Do you think that the tunnels will be safe though?" Colette asked falling into step next to Lloyd when the young swordsman started towards the partially blocked off entrance of the mines. There was space enough for the average adult to squeeze through to slip inside, no doubt how anyone had gotten inside.

"Depending on how much of the demolition George actually had done, this may be the only damage done. The interior was always well structured and maintained," I said as I put my hands in the pockets of my khaki trousers and forced myself not to find the action strange. I had only spent eight years in shackles, so moving my hands separate from one another should not have been what felt second nature. "If he only had the entrance to the mines actually closed off, then the rest of the tunnels should still be intact."

"We will just have to be careful," Presea added, nodding in agreement, shifting her grip on her Gaia Cleaver as she fell in step next to me.

The report that Sheena's friends from Mizuho had given us was entirely accurate. While the entrance might have been hidden from them at first, it was obvious now, and it did seem like someone was inside since the closer we came the more I could see the lights were still on inside. The lighting should have been destroyed in the blasts. Lloyd took the lead, looking over the tin passageway before waving for us to follow, turning to the side, and then shuffling through. Colette went in after, then Genis.

"Regal, remember, you have to hang back…and let us handle this," Sheena reminded me before she shuffled in after the young mage. We'd discussed several times how I was to stay on the proverbial sideline, out of the fight and hopefully out of danger. To be honest, they hadn't really been discussions, it had been more like lectures that warned me that I was going but I wasn't going to be fighting.

That was fine with me, I doubted that George could put up much of a fight in the first place, I just knew I had to be there. Zelos filed in after the summoner, grumbling about how it was too drafty in the tunnels, and Presea met my gaze before she followed him inside. The Professor gestured for me to go in first, a smile crossing her features.

"After you," she said softly.

"I wouldn't be much of a gentleman to enter before a lady, Professor Sage," I replied doing my best to resist the tug of a smirk at the corners of my lips.

Waving her Crystal Rod at the opening, she gave me a pointed look. "Doctor's orders."

I wondered how long she was going to use that excuse as I turned to the side, shuffling through the tight gap in the rock for about ten feet before everything opened up like it had before. The others were waiting near the debris of the security system that we had thoroughly destroyed on our first trip there. George had only let the demolition be done on the entrance, leaving everyone to believe that the rest of the mine inaccessible and leaving himself the perfect hiding place.

"Just another sign that he was dishonest son of a bitch," Zelos muttered under his breath, drawing his Last Fencer and then chewing his lip. "And he's making me feel like such an idiot for not thinking he could be here sooner…"

"None of us guessed it but Regal…" Lloyd commented before Genis could slip in a snide comment on the red headed swordsman's intelligence. He was falling into his familiar role as the leader, one that he'd adjusted to with the battle against Cruxis, and it was one of the few times he was completely serious. Even in the short time I'd known him, he had grown so much. "I bet he's camped out around where we found the inhibitor ore."

"We'll comb through this whole place anyway," Sheena said as she quietly stepped towards the door through the ruined security gate. "Come on."

Just as before, we filed through the door, only the ninja was in the lead for a moment, and Raine insisted on staying close to me. It was too surprising that even the machines were still running, just as we'd left them, the hum filling the air when silence began to hover between us. We had to take turns on the moving platforms that whisked us deeper into the mines, two at a time, and everyone else was surveying the area below for signs of our quarry.

I was a little preoccupied with trying not to grimace at the sudden jerk of the platform. I had been ready for it, braced for it, but even so it sent a wave of pain through me. Raine did have good reason to worry about me as much as I didn't want her to, because healing magic could only do so much or serious wounds while the human body had to the rest. She had indeed saved my life. Some of the pain, and the risk of reopening the wounds, still remained though, but would heal with time. Luckily, it had been Presea riding with me, and she hadn't noticed me clamp my jaw tight to keep from gasping.

When all of us were safely on the opposite ledge, we continued our venture deeper. The mine was eerily quiet, even more so then our other trips there. I had only seen a few stray bats clinging to the rocky ceiling with their clawed feet, but no other monsters. Still, my friends were on their guard, weapons drawn to be ready for the first sign of danger, eyes scanning every shadow for an enemy. I felt out of place. I was being hindrance by insisting to come along.

Their pace was slower because of me, I could see it in the shorter strides that Sheena, Lloyd, and Zelos were taking. Colette would normally release her wings in anticipation of a fight but she hadn't because it allowed her to walk at a slower pace. While I knew they were trying to make this easier on me, I couldn't help but feel a trickle of guilt drip into the back of my mind. Even if they understood my need to be there when George was apprehended, was it fair to burden them with looking after me in this situation?

I normally would never try to put them in a situation like this, especially when it could get one of my friends hurt, except this time was about more than just me. George had set up the accident that killed my parents, had been lying in wait for years to steal Lezareno from me, and it had been under his orders that Vharley had taken Alicia or those experiments. He had destroyed my family, helped set in motion the tragedy that befell the woman I loved. It was time that he paid for what he had done.

"It's so quiet…it's kinda creepy…" Colette whispered chewing her lip.

"If we're not quiet, he might hear us coming," the silver haired spellcaster whispered to her.

"I'm sorry," Colette said in a hushed voice quickly. No matter how many times she was told she didn't need to apologize so much, or who told her, she would probably never break that habit.

The tunnels did not seem disturbed at all, even from the blast that made the mine appear sealed, and it wasn't as if there were signs where George was hiding strewn about. We were guessing that he'd be deep inside, and with only one way out, we hoped to corner him, but something like that would still require the element of surprise.

All of the machines were still on, including in the wide digging area where one interwoven path outlined the small pits that were unsurprisingly unoccupied. Had I actually expected to catch George out in the open here? Considering the hatred he'd hidden from me all my life, hiding had to be his strong suit, so why did I expect this to be easy?

"We should check out the lower level before we go further in," Presea said in a soft voice, loud enough to gain the attention of the group members walking ahead of her but not enough to be heard in the rest of the tunnels. The path Lloyd had led us on through the ditches ws going around the area and straight towards the elevator, the hum growing steadily louder and it seemed that we were systematically exploring each area for my former servant.

"Right." Genis nodded jogging ahead with the red clad swordsman and blonde angel right on his heels. They waited together for the lift, then climbed aboard to ride to one of the deeper mining pits, looking a little more relaxed then when we had come in. Perhaps it was the fact the man we were looking for wasn't much of a threat or the fact that we hadn't run into anything that passed any danger.

"Hey, think that bastard would switch back on that trap with the boulder?" Zelos asked keeping his voice low enough it could just barely be heard over the buzz of the elevator. He ran his fingers through his hair before resting it on his hip, watching from the corner of his eye the progress of our friends. "He doesn't want anyone to catch him, right?"

"For once, you maybe right," Raine sighed crossing her arms over her chest. "Would you be so kind as to check it out?"

Before I believe Zelos would have argued about being put in danger and being volunteered for such a task, but he had grown up a bit over the journey and he knew from previous experience that he could outrun the trap if he'd need to. The red head shrugged strolling ahead to the switch on the ground jutting up two inches from the rock, his eyes trained on the space carved out in the wall for the mechanism.

"Regal, are there more traps George could have activated that we did not encounter here before?" the summoner asked curiously as she saw Lloyd shake his head from below. They hadn't found anything. Were we mistaken? Had I guessed worry?

"No. With the other door inaccessible without my voice print and cornea scan, there aren't anymore security measures we should have to worry abut," I murmured chewing my lip to hold in the curses building in my throat. If I was wrong, if George wasn't hiding here, and I had turned the focus of the search to the wrong place, then I could have let him escape. While we were all looking the other way, George was finding a new rock to crawl under. There was no sign that the old servant was in the mines with us now, he could have left, and if he got away, it would be my own fault.

"Then maybe he didn't switch this thing on because he couldn't outrun it himself," Zelos muttered his confident stroll slowing as he neared the switch. Though he knew it might not even be on, he did not appear all that eager to find out by triggering a boulder to chase him downhill.

Sighing, I ran my fingers through my hair, glancing to the lower level for a moment. Lloyd, Colette, and Genis were waiting for the elevator to return, looking slightly impatient at how slowly it moved. I owed a great deal to my friends, even more so than I would ever be able to repay in my lifetime, and even though I was already deep in their debt, they were helping me now without question. Some would probably argue that that was another part of friendship, but even so I was grateful to each of them. I would always be grateful, and I told myself I had to do everything I could to give back as much as I'd been given.

The lift was about half way down to pick them up when I thought I saw something from the corner of my eye, a shadow flitting out of the edges of my vision. Without thinking, I spun on my heel to see what it was, but in that exact moment, Zelos chose to step onto the trap to test it out. The click echoed throughout the tunnel, an alarm of on its own, but it wasn't signaling the descent of a boulder. At first, nothing happened.

Shrugging, Zelos jerked his head to flip his hair over his shoulder. "Well, maybe he wasn't clever enough to think of switching it on?"

"Zelos, watch out!" the Professor shouted abruptly when a pair of massive fists burst out of the gate of the mechanism, prepared to slam down upon the swordsman.

"Whoa!" He darted forward just before the large hands could hammer him into the ground, and he turned just in time to see a Rock Golem emerge from the darkness, its massive fist already in mid-swing. Hopping back, he managed to avoid the strike. As soon as he landed he had to jump back once again because the golem had locked both arms so they hung down straight, then spinning them around its burly body to try to hit him. Zelos cried out in surprise bringing up his shield to defend himself incase he hadn't made it out of the monster's range.

"Hey, what's going on?" Lloyd called up in concern, the elevator having just made it to the bottom of the shaft. "Zelos, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I just have my hands full, bud!" Zelos shouted back. Clenching his jaw, he darted forward the instant the golem stilled, his blade charged with mana as he thrust it out before him. "So, you wanna tussle, huh? Take this then! Hurricane Thrust!"

"Hold on, Zelos." Presea rushed forward without hesitation, her ax already in motion in a powerful upward cut that caught the stunned rock beast in the shoulder. "Infliction!"

"Regal, don't even _think_ of moving from that spot!" Sheena exclaimed running at the monster at full speed not even looking over her shoulder to see if I would obey or not. Throwing her cards out before her, the ninja struck the Rock Golem in the back with a whirlwind of enchanted papers, knocking it off of its feet. "Pyre Seal!"

From the ceiling three of the small, bat like creatures I'd seen before dropped down, swooping low, one of them to swipe at the summoner with its claws, another to sink its teeth into the red headed swordsman's shoulder. When Zelos cried out, I could hear Genis and Lloyd cursing just how slowly the lift was moving as they couldn't do anything to help. I knew how they felt since all I could do was watch the battle.

"It bit me!" the former Chosen growled, leaping into the air after the monster his sword sweeping out in a spiral. "Light Spear!"

"This won't take long," Raine assured me, sprinting forward, her staff already raised. She stayed back from the center of the fray, a bright glow spreading out beneath her feet, the design familiar even to me. "Light! Photon!"

A few bat monsters and a Rock Golem would not stand for long against my friends, and I knew that they could handle themselves, but I still felt as though I should be doing something to help. Every impulse in my limbs said that I should rush right into the fight, yet I knew I would be in more trouble than that golem if I tried anything of the sort. Clenching my hands at my sides, I glanced to see how close the others were to reaching the upper level when a soft mechanical click touched the edges of my hearing and then a strange quiet hit my senses.

The hum of the lift was gone.

"Hey…" Lloyd groaned, his confusion stopping him from saying anything more. About ten feet short the elevator had suddenly stopped.

"It's not working…?" I mumbled to myself, noting that the rest of the group was absorbed in the fight and hadn't noticed what had happened. My brow furrowing, I turned on my heel to see that in one of the ditches, next to the machinery was a shadowy figure quickly trying to climb back up onto the path. They had switched off the elevator! "It can't be…"

Scrambling to its feet, the figure broke out into a run, headed for the passage way to the other end of the mine, towards the entrance. The lighting made it difficult to make out who it was from a distance, but there was no question in my mind just who it was trying to slip past us at the most opportune moment while a portion of the group was engaged in battle and the other portion were trapped on the lift between destinations. I moved without thinking, one step becoming two, two multiplying as I pushed my body past walking, past jogging, into a mad dash.

The pain shot through me instantly, but I ignored it. I pushed it away because I had to go after him. He was headed for the exit and he'd get away if I didn't do anything. The other hadn't seen him, but they noticed me, especially when Presea called out, "Regal!"

"What are you--" the Professor began to demand, the authority she held in our circle of friends flooding her tone, a tactic to try to stop me in my tracks.

But I cut her off, pushing my legs for all the speed I could muster though my abdomen was on fire, yelling over my shoulder, "He's getting away!"

"Regal, wait!" Sheena exclaimed before I heard her throw out her cards once again. The Rock Golem wasn't about to let them just walk away after Zelos had disturbed it. And I couldn't wait for them to defeat it.

George was already barreling down the connecting tunnel, towards the machinery that would take him to the entrance. I was behind, barely gaining, pain keeping me from going faster than my body could handle. I had spent years fighting in the arena injured, and just recently fought wounded against all sorts of enemies over the journey, so I was accustomed to pain, used to pushing my body against the urge to preserve itself. I knew I could do this in spite of the fact I knew I shouldn't, and this knowledge pushed me to keep running. The fact he reached the end of the tunnel made me go as fast as I could.

If he made it to the lift I could lose him. He could vanish once he made it out of the mines and there was no telling if I would ever be able to track him down again. After all he had done to me, to Alicia, to my family, I couldn't allow that to happen.

I could hear Presea calling my name. I could hear the worry, the fear, in her voice, and I knew I would curse myself later for hurting her, but I was the only one that could stop him. George had waited for the best chance he'd have to divide the group, to increase his chances of escape, and the Rock Golem had provided him with everything he needed after Lloyd, Genis, and Colette had separated themselves from the others. He'd managed to hide, to slip by us or to stay out of sight just long enough, but I would not allow him to get away.

Clenching my jaw, I pumped every muscle in my legs for speed, needing to catch my old servant. I was so close, almost to the ledge where I would either be too late to stop him from boarding the lift, or he was stuck waiting for it. I had to hope that fate was on my side. The instant I made it to the ledge I looked around, hoping to see him, but even the transport was empty and speeding back to the other side.

"No…" George wasn't there. He was not standing there waiting to cross like he should have been, and there was practically no chance he had had enough time to get to the other side, out of the mine, and out of reach. The only other way he could have gone though was off the edge. Where had he gone? Gasping for breath, keeping the dam up against the flood of pain ready to overwhelm me, I took a few steps forward looking all over for a sign of him.

_He couldn't have gotten away…_

_No, he's here, he has to be…_

I was forcibly plunged back into the moment when something slammed into the middle of my back knocking me to my knees. A flare went off beneath my skin since my wound had been struck, sending searing sparks through my limbs and into my vision, taking my breath away. A hiss sprayed past my teeth as I pried my eyes back open, willing them to focus, to see what was going on, what hit me. Was there another Rock Golem wandering around?

"How many times do I have to try to kill you before you _die_?" That voice pierced the air, cut through my very being to leave reality to bleed into me. George stood over me, a plank of wood at least two inches thick in his clutches as though it were a bat, his face smeared with dirt but bright red. He had probably hidden to the side of the passageway waiting for me to pass to strike. He'd been here all along!

Shakily, I scrambled back from him, groaning at the trickle of wetness down my back that I knew had to be blood, glaring at the elder man. "Did you really believe that you would get away with all of it?"

In all of the time I had known George, ever since I was a small boy, I had never before seen him seething before. But now his eyes were practically bulging, his teeth bared, a vein popping out on his throat, and every inch of his posture radiated fury. Even in the heat of battle, Yggdrasil had not looked so vicious. For a brief instant, I wondered once again how I could have been so completely blind in the face of such raw hatred.

"It no longer matters, _Master_ Regal," George growled, a beast circling his prey, ready to take advantage of the fact I could not get to my feet yet. "But if I am going to fall then I'm going to take you with me!"

Raising the board over his head, he tried to swing it down onto mine, but I caught it with one hand though the sides of my vision were white blurs. George growled again jerking the plank attempting to pull it out of my grasp. He nearly did but I somehow managed to hold tight, and this caused his desperation erupt into a kick in my side, mere inches from where he'd stabbed me. Several waves of burning agony coursed through my frame making my head spin, but I held onto the board as I clenched my teeth to keep from screaming.

George saw an opportunity even though he couldn't get his make shift weapon back, utilizing the close proximity to kick me in the same place again. "Your wounds _can't_ have healed completely, _Master_ Regal!"

This time I could not hold back a cry of pain, but I held onto the board to give myself more leverage to swing my lower body, throwing my foot up into his gut. As he stumbled back breathless, I filled my own lungs and scrambled to my feet, clenching my jaw tightly. I faltered, but forced my legs to carry me forward, at my old servant so that I could kick out again, this time striking him in the chest. The elder man tumbled back into the connecting corridor away from the lifts.

"I…won't let you escape…" I murmured, one hand holding my side as I slowly shuffled closer to where he had landed on his backside. I doubted that I looked that intimidating, breathless and one hand resting against a support beam to remain upright.

"Ha!" he laughed even though blood dribbled down his chin from the corner of his lip and he hopped back up with energy that should have belonged to a man at least ten years younger. His eyes darted to where I'd dropped the plank of wood behind me, and he probably wondered if he could get around me to grab it. "You can barely even stand!"

"You're not going to get past me," I said flatly.

I couldn't believe, even though my thoughts were clouded with the white hot ashes, that he actually thought he could face me. George had never known about my late night visits to the dojo but he had to have at least heard of my success in the arena, especially if he'd been hoping that I would never return to Altamira alive. He had to know that I knew how to fight when he'd never raised his hand to anyone before, yet he seemed certain he could get by me.

Or maybe he actually underestimated me, thought that I was worse off than I was because of how he'd hurt me. There was no way that he could know about Raine's prowess as a healer, so did he think that I was just out of my death bed?

That expression of rage was still plastered over his face as he darted forward, his fist bawled and swinging for my jaw. His inexperience was telltale in his speed, his angle, but in my condition it was difficult to dodge completely in time so his fist rolled off my cheek. The blow jerked my head back, I saw stars, but it was George who had made the mistake. He'd come in close.

My instincts took over, driving my knee up into his gut sending him gasping several steps back, and without even thinking, I spun to thrust my leg into the same place once again. Completely winded, George could do nothing as I turned once again to gather momentum to kick him in the face, breaking his nose in one hit.

Down the tunnel, Presea was charging towards us, Raine, Sheena, Zelos, and Colette not far behind her. Lloyd and Genis had to be on their heels. If they were shouting, George's loud cry drowned it out bouncing off all of the walls as he held his blood nose taking a few unsteady steps backwards to try to regain his footing. There was only five or so feet between us, and all I needed to do was close that gap with another attack, but the burning in my side caused me to hesitate.

"What are you going to do, _Master_ Regal?" my old servant laughed suddenly, the bitter tone cutting though the haze in my mind from wanting nothing more than to sit down and rest. Even as the blood poured down his cheeks he continued to laugh the dark sound reverberating off the walls. "Are you going to kill me like you did Vharley?"

I froze where I stood, my eyes wide, my breath hitched. What he said was true, I had had a hand in Vharley's death, I had helped Presea subdue him before the final blow was struck. Yet Vharley had had his own hands in the deaths of many innocent people, some I hadn't even been aware of until recently, and because the King was sick and the Pope was manipulating everything the Exsphere Broker would not have seen true justice. But did that justify our taking his life? Could it be justified to bring down George in the same way?

"You really are a murderer, aren't you? A killer. She was just your first taste of blood…pitiful, pathetic girl…" George growled out with a sneer. "You killed her with your own two hands…"

He was trying to get to me, to play with my mind, and he knew exactly how to do so. I grit my teeth, taking a slow step closer. "You murdered my parents. You sent Alicia off to be experimented on. You tried to kill me to take over my family's company."

"I've tried to kill you several times. I even paid guards in the prison to put you into more fights in the arena, but nothing seemed to put an _end_ to you," he replied wiping the crimson liquid off his face as best he could, clenching his fists at his sides. "Are you going to get your revenge, _Master_ Regal? Are you going to kill me like you did Vharley?"

I was moving before I realized it, bypassing the pain, my leg already in motion to catch my former servant in the side of the head. While George was stunned, I followed up with another kick, catching him in the chest to send him onto his back, sprawled out at the feet of my friends as they came to an abrupt stop in the tunnel. I said nothing as I stalked forward, looming over the elder man, then resting my boot on his throat drawing out a rather startled gag from him. His eyes bulged as he began to lose oxygen in his lungs and the ability to pull in enough as well.

"Regal!" Colette gasped out.

"Hey, wait a second…" Zelos started but stopped when Lloyd put a hand on his shoulder. The red head frowned deeply before biting his lower lip.

I knew what Zelos had meant to do considering he had to have heard how George had been taunting me only minutes ago. I also knew what Lloyd was trying to do by silencing the other swordsman. Both of them trusted me, they just wanted me to make the right decision. I had already decided what I was going to do though.

Pressing my foot down a little harder upon his throat, watching as he writhed in pain for air, my eyes narrowed down on him. "After all you have done, everyone you have hurt, all of the lives that you have tainted with you hatred, perhaps death is what you deserve, George."

His flailing increased but I held him in place, not about to let him do anything else. He had already done enough. The people he had hurt, most of them had not been as fortunate as I had been, merely injured and able to recover. My parents had died never knowing their was a traitor in their midst, and Alicia had suffered through Exsphere experiments that I was unable to save her from, all because of this man's greed. Who else had he hurt? Were there others? Though now he bragged about all he'd done to me, he might never admit if he'd committed more crimes.

"But death would be kinder…than the palace dungeons," I muttered, releasing him, taking a few steps back before faltering and leaning against the cavern wall. Sliding down it, I released a harsh breath, holding my side.

"Regal!" Presea exclaimed jogging past the sputtering servant to my side taking my free hand as concern gripped her features. "Regal, are you all right?"

Professor Sage had followed her, dropping down next to me as well, and in spite of the dark clothing I was wearing she saw the small spots of blood. "Your wounds are opening again, Regal. Hold still. This should only take a moment. Help is on the way…Nurse!"

The light made it hard to see that George was struggling to get up, coughing hard, and he was probably ready to make a run for it. He didn't see, or notice, that Genis had pushed his way between the others to stand directly behind the other man. As the ache in my back and sides began to fade, I saw the young man raise his kendama up to smack the servant over the back of the head without warning.

George's eyes rolled up into the lids before he collapsed onto the rocky floor. The others stared at the mage dumbfounded, but he merely turned his gaze to mine, smirking. "That's what he gets for messing with us, right?"

Chuckling, I nodded as I spotted another rune circle flare up beneath Raine's feet. "Yes, Genis, and he'll have more coming…in Meltokio."

Out of the group, Genis had been the last one to accept me as a member, but it seemed that all of that was far behind us now while dealing with George was on top of the list. His real punishment would come from the King, not from me. I had no right to deal out such a thing as death. Taking a deep breath, I tried to exhale out all of the anger I had carried into the mines as it had served its purpose.

I did not want anger on the new path I would soon start.

When I opened my eyes, Sheena was standing in front of me, hands on her hips to match the pointed glare she glare she was giving me. "Do you need to have a lesson in how to follow directions, Regal Bryant, or are you just trying to make all of us worry? Although…I think you did manage to give as good as you got this time…"

"I think he's learned his lesson," Lloyd commented as he helped Colette lift up George after Zelos had nearly hogtied the man. The swordsman didn't need to help the angel, but he was trying all the same. "Especially since everything has been taken care of, right?"

"Not quite. George…still needs to be brought up on charges," I murmured, hurting but smiling all the same. "I don't think my doctor's orders will allow me out of bed for a few days, so…could you see to it he's held until then? Please tell His Majesty that I will come…after I've had more time to heal?"

"Of course, don't worry about it," Zelos assured me tossing his hair over his shoulder.

"My, my…maybe you were hit in the head too, Regal. You're actually going to listen to me? I'll have to check you over again," Raine commented with a snicker.

"I think…I'm just ready to move on from this…" I sighed as I let my eyes slide shut, embracing the urge to rest even though I knew it would worry the others more. But with George finally captured, I could finally rest and when I woke, I could look for that new path without shackles but with my friends at my side.

To be continued

**End notes: **Wow, I still can't understand why it totally took me so long to get this chapter up. I did change jobs and schools last summer though, and got swept up into a bunch of things. Plus my writing energy got pointed towards trying to please a "Creative Writing" professor that discourages 'genre writing'. How creative is that? I apologize. I'll have the epilogue up soon though!


	14. Epilogue

**Title:** On my Honor

**Author:** Yamato795

**Pairing:** Lots of mentions of RegalxAlicia, but no other ones planned at the moment…

**Rating:** Let's go PG-13 to be safe, since they do swear in the game, and the violence.

**Status:** Chapter 13 out of 14 parts. Hey, look I have a number!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Tales of Symphonia. Please don't sue me.

**Spoilers:** A TON, mostly for Regal. I'd say this story is better suited for those who have beaten the game if you ask me. Read at your own risk of spoiling anything. Since it starts where Regal comes in, it should spoil quite a bit of the game after that, don't you think?

**Summary:** Take a look through Regal's eyes as well as a look into his past.

**Author notes: **I honestly don't know how I managed to get this far, but I know I have one person to thank, and that's Christie. She has gotten me so far, encouraged me all the way, and I can't thank her enough for it. I am incredibly sad that this is the end. I hope to find another adventure to take Regal on, but so far, this is my tribute to him. I hope you've all enjoyed it.

On my Honor

Epilogue

I never actually heard why His Majesty would reinstate the Battle Arena's old program of prisoners fighting beasts for paying spectators, but work spread about the new matches soon enough. I suspected that Zelos had, in a vendetta not entirely his own, sponsored the move, using his new status as a Royal Advisor instead of the Rights of the Chosen. NO matter the cause of the fights being brought back, I still received word of a particular match within weeks of my recovery, as did Lloyd and the others.

George was scheduled to fight.

Raine had slapped Lloyd and Genis over the head when they had suggested we make a day of going to see the fight. Presea, Sheena, and Colette were more tentative, asking how I felt about it. Zelos had announced right away his attendance was already requested by the King, but he would help get tickets for anyone else that wanted them. When they had all fallen silent, waiting for me to finally express my own thoughts on going, I had told them the only thing that my lips could form at the moment.

_"I can't."_

The coliseum in Meltokio was not a place I had ever been able to stomach even before I had been imprisoned. Growing up I had thought those that could watch the combat there between captive beasts and convicted men sadistic. I assured my friends that I would not hold them back from going, or hold it against them if they did attend, but I could not go back to arena, and certainly not for such a display.

I did, however, go with them to Meltokio. I had business with His Majesty to take care of a day or two before, as did most of the others as the King wanted as much detail about the Reunification or the worlds as possible as well as guidance about how to proceed making ties with Slyvarant. I did, reluctantly, walk with them to the coliseum, and perhaps they thought I might change my mind if I was there with them just before the match. But I already knew I could not go in there, even if it was likely I would never get another chance for anything of the sort again, not even for closure.

More than likely my friends would witness George's last minutes on earth, for reasons all of their own, yet I could not bring myself to go. I assured my friends that I would meet them for dinner later on the upper level of the city before I turned and started back towards the center of Meltokio. Even Presea had headed towards the arena, but she had ever right to see the man who had had such a heavy hand in her sister's death come to justice. Whether George survived combat with monsters or not didn't matter to her either, I knew that and so did she, but I understood her need to bear witness just as she understood mine not to be there.

Without thinking much about it, I paused in my slow steps across the bridge, leaning against the railing as a roar erupted behind me shaking the walls of the coliseum. Whatever had just occurred there had to have pleased the crowd, and I tried not to imagine the brutal fate of the one who had had to fall for such a cheer to rise. In spite of all he'd done to me, all George had taken from me, I did not wish for him to be torn apart by beasts. After so many years of violence, fighting to survive, of being fed lies, of torture, of strife, and of punishment, I couldn't help but think that my soul was exhausted.

If I did not go to the match, I could strive to put the ugliness behind me, I could mourn for those I had loved and lost, but I would not be chained down by hatred. Vengeance had consumed my life for too long, the sins of my past holding me back from truly living, and if no one, Presea, Alicia, Lloyd, or any of the others believed that that was the life I deserved then it was time I moved on.

My left hand had idly begun to rub my right wrist, a habit that I was unconsciously forming. It shouldn't have been second nature to be able to move my hands freely and yet it was still something that I was adjusting to. Biting my lip, I did my best to ignore the second roar that burst forth from the shuddering walls of the coliseum. What was going on there no longer concerned me. I had delivered George into the hands of the authorities, I had given them the security video of the attempt he made on my life, and I had cooperated with them to the fullest of my ability, and what had become of that treacherous man after that was out of my hands.

_I'm going to start over, Alicia. I'm going to try to begin again._

_I'm going to live…really live…just like I promised._

Closing my eyes, I drew in a deep breath, as though oxygen would cleanse my very being just by flowing in and then flowing out. My entire body relaxed, though my back and side still throbbed because I had pushed myself too hard in the mines, and for the most part I left everything behind. I couldn't entirely walk away from what had happened, not when people that were so important to me were in those memories as well, but I could release the anger completely.

_But I still miss you, Alicia. I will never forget you._

_I will always love you._

Whether it had been a dream is which I had come face to face with my beloved, or whether she had really come to me, didn't matter to me as much as the knowledge she still loved me. I did not deserve it, but I needed it. I would not have the strength to keep going without it. Just knowing that she didn't despise me, that she didn't curse me, that she had wanted me to remove my shackles, soothed the tattered edges of my shredded soul, infusing it with new strength which would help me carry on.

Prepared to face the world anew, I turned from the railing, facing the center of the Imperial City that was willing to welcome me once again. So absorbed in my own thoughts I was unaware of what was going on around me, and my movements brought me into a collision with someone meaning to pass by me. An arm hit my injured side stopping me in my tracks with a gasp as I faintly heard a few things clatter to the ground, the flash of white hot pain jolting through me so suddenly I nearly feel to my knees.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry!" The feminine voice laced with concern, a slight twinge of panic, broke through the ache that had intensified in both my back and side. When I opened my eyes perhaps an instant later there was a hand on my forearm where I had drawn it in to hold my middle, hazel orbs focused intently up at me. A young woman with those deep, thoughtful eyes had been the one to bump into me, and while the physical aspect of the encounter had been painful, I was more stunned by her.

I didn't recognize her. That shouldn't have been startling considering the time I had spent in the dungeon, the fact I lived in Altamira, and that I obviously did not know everyone is Tethe'alla. Yet her features struck me. I was taken aback by how her creamy complexion accented her deep, thoughtful gaze, brought out her long eyelashes, and was emphasized by the darker shade of her hair. The gentle breeze caused a stray brown lock to fall free of her braid and onto her forehead. I was staring at her even though the throbbing in my mending wounds was pounding against my senses.

"I'm so sorry, sir, I should have been watching where I was going. I'm usually not so clumsy," she murmured quickly taking my silence for irritation, glancing me over to check for injuries or damage. "Are you all right?"

"I…" I shook my head a little to clear it. "Forgive me. I should have been paying more attention, Miss."

"Are you sure?" One of her eyebrows lifted in question as though she didn't believe me, and she drew back her hand gradually as if she might need to thrust it out again suddenly to catch me. The concern shinning in her eyes was startling as well especially as we were strangers.

"Really, I'm fine," I assured her after a moment, taking a step back to give myself some room to crouch down and pick up what she had dropped when she'd bumped into me.

Tilting her head to the side, she knelt down with me, grabbing the nearest volume but still trying to hold my gaze. "Your posture seemed to say otherwise. Let me get these. I'm the blind klutz causing trouble…you really shouldn't trouble yourself after I hurt you."

Shaking my head I held out the stack I had acquired. "Miss, it was an accident, there is no reason to be so hard on yourself. You didn't hurt me…not really. I'm merely…sore."

It was the truth that while the collision had hurt, the young woman hadn't been the one to do the real harm. My wounds would not have been troubling me at all if I had given myself more time to heal, as Raine had cautioned me. Grinning slightly, I stood when she did, willing myself not to stare but unable to stop myself from taking a better look at her.

She was a slender young woman, thin, but toned as though she was no stranger to activity and she was probably about the same height as Sheena. She wore a scabbard on her belt, perhaps why she appeared so fit, and she also wore a dark blue tunic, a simple garment that went with the tan leggings she had on. I couldn't help but think that she was not from Tethe'alla, which was a stunning thought because I hadn't expected people to travel to the Imperial City from Sylvarant so soon after the Reunification.

"I'm sorry. I really should have been paying more attention to where I was going, but I've never been to Meltokio before and it's such a beautiful city," she replied returning my smile a bit sheepishly. "I really am sorry, sir."

"Regal," I corrected her gently, automatically. "My name is Regal."

She blinked a little surprised, but her smile widened a little. "I'm really sorry, Regal. My name is Liane."

"Apology accepted, Liane, but you don't really have anything to apologize for. It was an accident," I insisted glancing over the books she held and wondering if she'd just visited the bookshop on the lower level earlier. "Meltokio is a beautiful city, I can understand if it distracted you as you were going along."

A slight flush rose in her cheeks as she dropped her gaze suddenly, clutching her armful of books tighter to her chest. "Well…that and the hurry I was in to get away from the coliseum couldn't have helped…"

"You…were at the arena?" I hadn't really thought about which direction she had come from as the ache had filled my senses too quickly for anything else to register right away. I couldn't help but wonder just who this woman was that would come from any city in Sylvarant, armed with a blade as well as her curiosity, and she had fled the coliseum amidst the cheers. The matches could not have concluded yet. "But you left…?"

"Someone told me in one of the shops that the matches in the arena might be exciting but…I didn't have the stomach for them. I suppose I should have known what to expect from his description though…" Liane sighed rolling her eyes at her own actions. She smiled weakly up at me, attempting to brush that one stray lock of hair back but the breeze would not have it, freeing it once more.

"I hope that it hasn't tarnished your opinion of the people of Meltokio. Not everyone here enjoys such a spectacle," I retorted forcing myself to keep the bitterness from words, to keep my expression pleasant. There was no reason to trouble someone I had only just met with my horrible memories of the coliseum.

She shook her head. "But I've probably ruined your opinion of the people of Sylvarant by not looking where I was going…"

I couldn't help but chuckle at that, even if it increased the throbbing around my still healing wounds, a natural reaction that seemed to still take me by surprise. Not long ago I would never have believed that I would ever laugh again, and I certainly would not have recognized myself dressed in casual black trousers, a black button-up shirt, without my shackles. "No, I don't think something so simple would change my opinion after I've already made some very good friends from Sylvarant."

Her eyes widened for an instant before her smile brightened, her arms tightening on the books a little. "That's good. I would have hated to have destroyed the opinion of the friendliest person I've met since I've come to Tethe'alla, especially by accident. Meltokio isn't used to tourists is it?"

"Perhaps not, but that will probably change soon, I'd imagine," I remarked thoughtfully shifting slightly where I stood. "And I'm flattered, but I feel that I should do something to make up for things if I'm the friendliest person you've met thus far…"

I wasn't sure what I was doing, what was compelling me to go beyond just courtesy with this young woman from Sylvarant to extend a hand of friendship, but it felt right. To begin again this appeared a step in the right direction, the start of my new path, and so I felt no hesitation or any reason to. Liane, while I barely knew anything about her, was obviously brave enough to venture into a land she didn't know and such bravery should be acknowledge, encouraged, and rewarded. Meltokio was inhabited, in some areas, with those that were too absorbed to offer her that.

"Perhaps, if you're still exploring the city, I could show you around…if you'd like the company?" I offered wondering if she'd scoff at the idea. I was still a stranger for the most part.

"Really?" she asked after a moment seemingly taken aback by the suggestion. "I mean…I wouldn't want to trouble you. I'm sure you have better things to do than show around a country bumpkin."

"I would not have offered if I did not want to, Liane." As she was flustered, I took the opportunity to take the books from her arms and then offered her one of mine. I hoped that the blush on her cheeks was not because I had made her uncomfortable. "I don't mean to intrude on your trip but--"

"No! No, I mean, you're not," she exclaimed quickly reaching out to carefully loop her arm through mine, cautious because she didn't exactly know where I was hurt. "I just wasn't expecting…to run into such a gentleman…"

Again I chuckled. "Perhaps that will change too. Do you have any idea what you would like to see next?"

Liane beamed up at me, cocking her head to the side. "Maybe…my kind tour guide could make a suggestion? I've only made two stops so far…a bookstore I happened to wander into and the coliseum, so I'm open to anywhere you think would be interesting."

"Then…would you like to see the castle?" I was certain that the guards would let me right through without even asking my purpose there. It wasn't as if the palace were normally closed off but His Majesty was habitually careful, for his safety and his daughters, since the business with the Pope.

"…You're…not joking?" Hazel eyes curiously sought mine, looking for a sign of insincerity that she wasn't going to find. "Regal…that would be…incredible."

Gently, I led her across the bridge, walking with her on the side opposite my injured one, carrying her collection of volumes mindful of my wounds as well. The excitement she was now struggling to contain was seeping into her steps lightening them, giving them a slight bounce, and it glittered in her gaze. Yet even thought she was holding it back, it had spread to me as well. There I was starting over, facing the world a new as best I could, and somehow joining her on her journey gave it a thrill I had not anticipated.

"Wait until you see it," I insisted, grinning.

Her laugh echoed my own, and it was probably terrible of me to revel in it, to want to keep the invigoration I'd only just found again for the rest of my existence. But I had promised that I would live. I had promised to stop punishing myself. In doing so, in healing and in moving on, I would honor the wishes of those I had lost and those I had only just found that cared for me. I would strive to keep my word, but not out of obligation.

Whether it was right or wrong, whether I deserved the chance to or not, and even though I might never truly be redeemed, I wanted to honor my promise.

The End

**End Notes: **Well, I have to say, I enjoyed every minute of writing this. I love Regal, and I am so glad to have done this. Now, please, if you have not already checked out Heart of the Phoenix please do so. That is where Liane is from. Check out Shaddowind's story because not only is it amazing, but it's extremely well done. Thank you all so much for reading Honor, and I hope you enjoyed it!


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